US Forces Nvidia, AMD to Hand Over 15% of China Revenues
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – US authorities have compelled semiconductor giants Nvidia and AMD to surrender 15% of their chip sales revenue from the Chinese market, as part of conditions for export licenses.
US chipmakers Nvidia and AMD have agreed to pay the US government 15% of their semiconductor revenues from China.
The deal, confirmed by a source to the BBC, is tied to securing export licences for sales to the world’s second-largest economy.
Nvidia stated it follows US government rules for participation in global markets and expressed hope that Washington’s export controls would still allow it to compete in China.
AMD has not publicly commented on the arrangement.
Under the agreement, Nvidia will pay 15% of its revenue from H20 chip sales in China, while AMD will do the same for its MI308 chip sales.
The Financial Times was the first to report the figures.
Charlie Dai, vice president at Forrester, called the arrangement “unprecedented,” stressing the steep cost of market access in the midst of intensifying technology trade tensions.
Washington previously banned Nvidia’s H20 chips from sale to China over so-called “security concerns” — restrictions now partially lifted.
Critics have pointed out the contradiction in claiming a national security risk while permitting sales in exchange for payments to the US Treasury.
The H20 was designed specifically for China after the Biden administration imposed export curbs in 2023.
Sales were later halted entirely by the Trump administration in April 2025.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has lobbied for months to resume Chinese sales, reportedly meeting with President Trump last week.
The revival of chip exports comes amid a temporary easing in US-China trade tensions.
Beijing has relaxed rare earth export controls, while Washington has lifted some restrictions on semiconductor design software.
In May, both countries agreed to a 90-day tariff truce.
However, no extension has been confirmed ahead of the August 12 deadline.
China has urged the US to loosen semiconductor export controls as part of any future tariff deal.
Trump’s broader trade strategy has pressed US corporations to ramp up domestic investments.
Apple recently pledged an additional $100 billion investment in the US, while Micron announced $200 billion in planned US spending.
Nvidia has also unveiled a $500 billion plan to build AI servers and supercomputers entirely within the United States.
