Beijing Signals Approval for Nvidia's RTX Pro 5500, a Chip Expected to Dodge US Export Curbs
Key Takeaways
- •Industry executives believe Nvidia's RTX Pro 5500 falls outside US export restrictions, and Beijing's Industry Ministry has asked ByteDance, Alibaba and other companies for purchase numbers.
- •Some Chinese firms were told the government plans to sign off on the purchases, though the report by The Information, carried by Reuters, has not been independently verified.
- •The RTX Pro 5500 is a Blackwell workstation card with 84GB of GDDR7 memory designed for rack-mounted configurations, and has not yet launched commercially.
- •China's Cyberspace Administration previously told major tech companies to halt testing and cancel orders for Nvidia's RTX Pro 6000D in 2025, so a sign-off for the newer card would mark a reversal.
- •Seven Chinese firms, including Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance and JD.com, hold US licenses to buy up to 75,000 H200 chips each, but none had been delivered as of May.
Washington's export restrictions may not block Nvidia's newest workstation chip from reaching Chinese customers, and Beijing appears prepared to open the door.
Two people familiar with the matter said some industry executives believe the RTX Pro 5500 falls outside US export restrictions. Beijing's Industry Ministry sought purchase numbers from ByteDance, Alibaba and other companies, and some of those firms were subsequently told the government plans to sign off, The Information reported. Reuters also carried the report. It has not been independently verified.
Chipmaker calls Washington's controls outdated as 84GB card awaits launch
"US firms continue to be restricted by a combination of outdated US export controls, which cover gaming products released nearly a half a decade ago, and China's own limits on US imports," an Nvidia spokesperson said.
Nvidia's product page lists the RTX Pro 5500 as a Blackwell workstation card with 84GB of GDDR7 memory, designated for rack-mounted configurations. Buyers can still only register for availability alerts, meaning the card has yet to launch. Any government sign-off would therefore precede the card's commercial availability, not follow it.
Seven Chinese firms hold H200 licenses, but no chips arrived by May
Beijing went the other way a year ago. China's Cyberspace Administration told the country's major tech companies to stop testing and cancel orders for Nvidia's RTX Pro 6000D, as Cryptopolitan reported in September 2025. A sign-off for the RTX Pro 5500 would sit in direct contrast to that directive, though the ministry's reported outreach stops short of a formal decision.
Nvidia's H200 shows how far a signal can sit from a sale. In January, Beijing told Alibaba, Tencent and ByteDance to prepare H200 orders, with buying plans required to include some domestic chips, Cryptopolitan reported.
Washington has granted seven Chinese firms, including Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance and JD.com, licenses to buy up to 75,000 H200 chips each. As of May, none had yet been delivered, Cryptopolitan reported. Whether the RTX Pro 5500's reported sign-off travels further — from ministry outreach to orders to actual deliveries — is the open question hanging over the chip.
