China signals it may let Alibaba, ByteDance buy new Nvidia chip
The move
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has asked Alibaba and ByteDance about their planned orders for Nvidia's new RTX Pro 5500 workstation chip, and officials have signaled the purchases are likely to be approved, The Information reported Sept. 27. Nothing is finalized.
Why it matters
The RTX Pro 5500, an 84GB Blackwell-based card, was built to sit under U.S. export-control thresholds; a Chinese green light would reopen a major market Nvidia has largely lost to export curbs.
The bear case
This is a signal relayed by unnamed officials, not confirmed policy, and Beijing has reversed similar chip-buying openings before.
What to watch
Formal confirmation from MIIT and whether Alibaba or ByteDance actually place orders.