Nvidia struggles to meet forecasts as RTX6000D sales slow in China

Despite earlier projections of a stronger demand, Nvidia’s new China-specific chip RTX6000D faces slow demand from Chinese firms. Technology firms like Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance are reportedly reluctant to place orders, citing higher costs and performance issues in comparison with other available options. 

The RTX6000D was developed to align with the U.S. export controls and serve AI inference tasks in China. Shipping began this week with an average pricing of 50,000 yuan ($7,000), which is considered rather expensive relative to its performance output. According to reports, some isolated tests performed on the chip fell below RTX5090 in performance. RTX5090 is currently restricted in China but available through the grey market channels at a lesser cost. 

Upcoming B30A chips may deliver up to six times H20’s power

Some analysts had projected a higher demand for the RTX6000D chips, including JPMorgan’s forecast in August, which showed that Nvidia could produce and supply 1.5 million RTX6000Ds in the second half of 2025. Morgan Stanley forecasted a supply of 2 million chips during the same period. The slow adoption has sparked questions across the industry on whether the estimates will be achieved. 

Reuters reported that Chinese technology companies await clarity on the shipments of Nvidia H20 AI chips, which were temporarily barred from exporting by the U.S., citing security concerns. Using the Hopper architecture, the H20 chips pricing point ranges between $10,000 and $12,000. The chip is more advanced with higher memory bandwidth at 4 terabytes per second compared to RTX6000D’s 1,398 gigabytes per second. 

The H20 chips had already regained U.S. approval, but shipments are still stalled due to the ongoing negotiations between Washington, D.C., and Beijing on revenue-sharing arrangements. The sector is also awaiting approval of the upcoming B30A based on Nvidia’s Blackwell architecture, like RTX6000D. If approved, the B30A will deliver up to six times H20’s power while costing roughly twice as much. 

On Monday, Chinese regulators accused Nvidia of violating the country’s anti-monopoly law, further adding uncertainties to its business. At the same time, Chinese authorities have also summoned ByteDance, Tencent, and other Chinese technology companies to explain the purchase of the H20 chips. The regulators were mainly concerned with the information security risks posed.

The RTX6000D has been incorporated with GDDR memory and falls below the U.S. April threshold placed on AI chips to China by 1.4 terabytes of memory bandwidth.  

China invites Trump to Beijing as TikTok’s divestment deadline looms

Cryptopolitan reported recently that the U.S. and Chinese officials met in Madrid on Sunday to discuss three issues: trade differences, TikTok’s upcoming divestment deadline, and Washington’s push to penalize Beijing for partnering with Russia on oil deals. Scott Bessent, Treasury Secretary, and Trade Representative Jamieson Geer represented the U.S., while China, on the other hand, was represented by Vice Premier He Lifeng and Li Chenggang, marking the fourth round of talks since April.

TikTok’s divestment deadline is currently set for September 17, but is expected to be extended for the fourth time with no deal. Some analysts have suggested that any major decision on the agreement could be delayed until a deal is met.

Beijing has formally invited U.S. President Trump for a meeting with President Xi Jinping to address the stalled trade issues and finalize negotiations. However, the White House has not responded yet. Washington insists that China must take decisive action to stop the flow of fentanyl precursors into the U.S. Senator Steve Daines emphasized during his recent meeting in Beijing.

If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter.