NVIDIA cuts over half of Asian buyers from AI chip whitelist in China crackdown

Q: Which countries in Asia did NVIDIA cut authorized AI chip customers in, according to the article?

NVIDIA cut its authorized AI chip customers in Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan by more than half.

Q: Which types of companies were notably excluded from NVIDIA’s revised whitelist?

Many of the companies excluded from NVIDIA’s revised whitelist were neo-cloud providers, meaning specialized cloud platforms for AI workloads. These firms made up a notable portion of those that failed the stricter compliance checks and were removed.

Q: Can companies that failed NVIDIA’s initial compliance check reapply for authorization?

Yes. The primary article states that companies that failed NVIDIA’s initial compliance check are eligible to reapply.

Q: How did the Financial Times characterize the scale of the NVIDIA GPU black market referenced in the article?

The Financial Times characterized the NVIDIA GPU black market as a more than billion-dollar industry, reporting in July 2025 that over $1 billion worth of NVIDIA AI GPUs were smuggled into China over a three-month period.

NVIDIA has slashed its authorized AI chip customers across Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan by more than half to stop products being diverted to China.

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Jak Connor

Tech and Science Editor

Published Jul 15, 2026 10:52 AM CDT

1 minute & 45 seconds read time

TL;DR: NVIDIA drastically reduced authorized AI chip customers in Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan by over half, introducing a vetted whitelist and stricter compliance checks to prevent high-end accelerators being diverted to China; excluded firms can reapply, and many affected were neo-cloud AI providers amid concerns over a large GPU black market.

Voice: Jak ConnorSpeed

0:00 / 2:12

NVIDIA has cut its authorized AI chip customers in Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan by more than half in an effort to reduce the number of unauthorized products from being funneled through to China.

NVIDIA cuts over half of Asian buyers from AI chip whitelist in China crackdown 2

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According to a new report from the Financial Times, the chipmaker has implemented a new "white list" of vetted companies, which have passed stricter compliance checks ensuring NVIDIA's high-end AI accelerators don't end up in places they aren't legally allowed to be. The move signals a major tightening of access to its AI hardware in key Asian markets, which comes on the heels of intense investigations from reporters that unveiled an expansive black market in China for NVIDIA GPUs.

NVIDIA's tightening of its grip on the Asian market follows increasing pressure from regulators and policymakers to enforce export controls on AI GPUs for fear the US will be selling what it needs to competitors that will enable it to gain a leg up in the AI race. NVIDIA's new restrictions notably excluded more than half of NVIDIA's previous customers, and companies that failed the initial compliance check are eligible to reapply. According to FT, many of the companies that were affected by NVIDIA's changes are neo-cloud providers, specialized cloud platforms for AI workloads.

NVIDIA cuts over half of Asian buyers from AI chip whitelist in China crackdown 1

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Question #1

Which countries in Asia did NVIDIA cut authorized AI chip customers in, according to the article?

Question #2

Which types of companies were notably excluded from NVIDIA’s revised whitelist?

Question #3

Can companies that failed NVIDIA’s initial compliance check reapply for authorization?

Question #4

How did the Financial Times characterize the scale of the NVIDIA GPU black market referenced in the article?

Have a question not listed here? Ask below and TweakBot will answer it.

Previous reports indicated the NVIDIA AI GPU black market smuggling ring is more than a billion-dollar industry, with a report from FT in July 2025 claiming, after an investigation, that more than $1 billion worth of NVIDIA AI GPUs were smuggled into China over a three-month period. While regulations have certainly tightened more since then, one does wonder if the value of that black market has increased or decreased since July 2025. My guess would be a sharp increase with seemingly no end in sight.