NVIDIA Delays Release of their Customized Accelerators in China
NVIDIA had initially planned to unveil accelerators tailored for China in November, designed to meet the export restrictions introduced by the United States in October. But the release has been postponed until at least the second quarter of the current year, as sources explained to Reuters.
Troubles with H20, L20, and L2 Accelerators Integration
When delays for the H20, L20, and L2 accelerators were first reported, it was alleged that Chinese server equipment manufacturers were experiencing issues integrating them into their systems. NVIDIA representatives reiterated their commitment to launch the new accelerators in China, all the while aiming to shield the company from potential issues with the US authorities. Therefore, they have been carefully aligning the specifications with the regulators.
Gradual Release of H20 Accelerator
According to Reuters, NVIDIA will be ready to commence the release of its flagship accelerator for China, the H20, by the second quarter. The H20 will be initially distributed in small batches for the company’s largest clients. However, no details have been provided as to when the less powerful L20 and L2 accelerators would be made available to Chinese clients. Some local AI system developers have raised concerns about the performance limitations of NVIDIA’s offerings, opting to invest in domestic developments due to these restrictions.
NVIDIA’s Troubles with the GeForce RTX 4090D
At the end of December, NVIDIA also had to arrange the delivery of a modified version of the GeForce RTX 4090D gaming graphics adapter to China, which was created with October’s US export restrictions in mind. Allegedly, crafty Chinese manufacturers had been repurposing the original GeForce RTX 4090 into a computation accelerator, which ultimately led NVIDIA to stop further shipments of the GeForce RTX 4090 in its original form to China.
