Nvidia has strongly denied rumors that it demands full advance payment of its coveted H200 artificial intelligent chips among its Chinese customers. 

On January 13, 2026, a company spokesperson indicated, without any possible doubt, the lack of such a policy and the lack thereof even in the context of increasing trade tensions.

Payment Rumors Unraveled

The rebuff is a direct response to a Reuters article of January 8 that indicated that Nvidia imposed strict advance payment requirements on orders of the H200, thus imposing financial risk on the clientele at a time of increased governmental attention to imports in China. The firm stated that it.

would never require customers to pay for products they do not receive.

Although previous contracts did permit the possibility of the deposit arrangements, the H200 contractual terms are now more inhibitive, as well as by not permitting the reimbursement or alteration of the terms after the order is confirmed. 

Nvidia came out strongly saying, they would not make the customers pay for the products they are not receiving. The firm underlined the fact that the normal contractual conditions are still in force regardless of the misinformation being in circulation.

Massive Demand Fuels Frenzy

Chinese companies have ordered over 2 million units of H200 at a unit price of $27,000 and the projected revenue before a levy of 25% of the sale by the United States of America is another reduction, scheduled to $40 billion at a net of the order placement. 

The current inventory of Nvidia is approximately 700,000 units with production set to be 2x in the second quarter of 2026. 

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, stated that the business is witnessing “very high“ customer demand in China for its H200 AI chips, which the US government recently indicated it might authorize for export.

Navigating Trade Minefield

This scenario brings into highlight the intricate nature of the U.S. trade with China in the semiconductors trade. 

Beijing has already expressed enthusiasm in acquiring the H200 as a commercial use over the next quarter but limiting usage to commercial purposes by military and government-linked organizations because of security reasons, which goes in line with the latest restrictions placed on Apple and Micron. 

The domestic market share of Nvidia declined to 95% in 2019, prior to the 2022 sanctions, but the re-examination of H200 compliance has opened the opportunities yet again.

Bright Horizon Ahead

It is expected that the H-series product will penetrate in the Chinese market by mid-decade and the device will realize massive annual revenues worth to the firm, which Huang has nailed as a major percentage of the anticipated revenues at NVIDIA within the years that follow. 

As a result, future trade agreements would be becoming more significant; free regulatory authorizations will promote market growth, and delays in the procedure will slow down growth patterns.