NVIDIA Shrinks Asia AI Chip Customer List

According to industry sources, NVIDIA has recently strengthened compliance reviews for customers in Asia and established a new customer “white list” for AI chip purchases. Following the latest round of assessments, the number of Asian customers approved to purchase NVIDIA’s artificial intelligence (AI) chips has been reduced by more than half compared with the previous customer base.

Sources familiar with the matter said NVIDIA has intensified customer due diligence procedures in markets including Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan over the past several months. The latest review has excluded more than 50% of previously approved customers. However, companies that did not pass the initial assessment may adjust their business models or compliance arrangements and submit applications again.

Among the affected companies are many emerging cloud service providers, which focus on offering AI computing infrastructure and cloud platforms designed to support artificial intelligence workloads.

As part of the updated review process, NVIDIA employees will conduct on-site visits to customers’ data centers, verify relevant contracts, and interview end users to confirm the authenticity of customers’ operations. The U.S. Department of Commerce is also involved in the process, providing oversight and support for compliance assessments.

Compared with NVIDIA’s previous customer verification procedures, the latest review introduces stricter compliance requirements and expands the scope of on-site inspections. NVIDIA has historically screened chip purchasers to comply with U.S. export control regulations, but the company has recently raised the threshold for customer approval.

A NVIDIA spokesperson said the company has always placed compliance as its highest priority and remains fully committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations.