Enhanced customs checks have been introduced for AI processors and high-performance semiconductors, particularly those designed by Nvidia for the Chinese market, including the H20 and RTX Pro 6000D. These chips were created to comply with US export controls restricting the sale of advanced computing technology to China.
The Financial Times reports that China has dispatched specialised customs teams to scrutinise semiconductor imports more closely, assessing whether shipments breach existing US export restrictions or domestic import rules. The inspections reportedly extend beyond Nvidia products to other high-end processors used for AI and data centre applications.
The move follows earlier regulatory actions discouraging Chinese firms such as Alibaba and ByteDance from purchasing Nvidia hardware. Authorities are also said to be investigating potential misdeclaration or smuggling of high-value chips, after reports that around US$1 billion worth of restricted Nvidia processors had entered China through unofficial channels earlier this year.
The latest checks are likely to affect AI developers, cloud service providers, and enterprise data centre operators that rely on Nvidia’s GPUs for large-scale machine learning and generative AI workloads.
This comes amid mounting pressure from Washington, which has expanded export curbs on advanced chips and chipmaking tools.
While Nvidia remains one of the few US companies permitted to sell AI chips in China under revised specifications, the enhanced customs measures could slow or complicate the delivery of those products, adding uncertainty to supply chains.
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