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On November 3, 2026, according to reports by The Information and the Financial Times, Nvidia has asked some cloud customers to reduce their business with Chinese companies and to disclose the identity of the end users of the chips. The Decoder said the guidance is not mandatory and applies only to future contracts; it was conveyed verbally through sales representatives and regional teams, with the aim of encouraging cloud providers—including the neoclouds in which Nvidia has invested—to develop a more diversified customer base. The move targets a gap in U.S. export controls: current rules restrict chip shipments but generally do not cover remote access via cloud services, so Chinese AI developers can rent computing power in overseas data centers to use advanced Nvidia chips. On the same day, another report said Nvidia has told cloud and data center customers that at least 51% of services under newly signed contracts should go to non-Chinese companies, and cloud providers have also been asked to report the identity of chip end users.
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Nov 4
Caixin
Caixin T Morning Brief: Nvidia asks data center customers to reduce China business; China-market Apple Intelligence opens for testing
Nvidia has asked its data center partners to reduce business with Chinese customers, requiring that at least 51% of services be sold to non-Chinese companies; previously there was no such restriction. Zhongji Innolight, responding to rumors of overseas customers cutting orders, said the vast majority of overseas customers have not revised down demand, and demand for 1.6T optical modules from some customers has even increased, with most orders for 2027 already covering the full year. China-market Apple Intelligence has officially opened for testing.
Nov 3
Rohan PaulSelected
Nvidia requires cloud and data center customers to direct at least 51% of services in new contracts to non-Chinese companies
According to FT, Nvidia has told cloud and data center customers that at least 51% of services in newly signed contracts should go to non-Chinese companies. The requirement targets overseas cloud leasing, a path by which Chinese AI developers can use advanced computing power without importing chips, because U.S. export controls generally do not cover remote access. Cloud providers are also required to report the identity of chip end users; earlier this year Nvidia drew up a whitelist that cut the number of Asian customers permitted to buy its AI chips to less than half, and a B300 rack is priced at about $600,000 internationally, with a transaction price in China reaching $2.54 million last month.
The Decoder
Nvidia asks some cloud customers to reduce business with Chinese companies
Nvidia has asked some cloud customers to reduce business with Chinese companies and to disclose the identity of end users using its chips; the guidance is not mandatory and applies only to future contracts. According to reports by The Information and the Financial Times, this request was communicated orally through sales representatives and regional teams, aiming to encourage cloud providers, including Nvidia-invested neoclouds, to develop a more diversified customer structure. The move targets a gap in U.S. export controls: current rules restrict chip shipments but generally do not cover remote access through cloud services, so Chinese AI developers can rent computing power in overseas data centers to use advanced Nvidia chips.
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