# US approved Nvidia chip sales to a fake Chinese firm

> The Commerce Department cleared an empty office to buy restricted AI chips, raising questions about vetting of Chinese buyers.
- Title: US approved Nvidia chip sales to a fake Chinese firm
- Summary: The Commerce Department cleared an empty office to buy restricted AI chips, raising questions about vetting of Chinese buyers.
- Keywords: nvidia, china, ai chips, export controls, commerce department, new matrix, trump administration, The Verge
- Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1029483/nvidia-ai-chips-china-blacklist-government
- Author: Terrence O'Brien
- Published: 2026-11-07T15:43:45+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: nvidia, china, ai chips, export controls, commerce department, new matrix, trump administration, technology, culture
## Empty office approved for chip sales
The Commerce Department cleared New Matrix, a Chinese firm, to buy Nvidia's H200 AI chips.

> a hollow gray shell with wires dangling from the ceiling where lights should be
## New Matrix barely exists
The New York Times found little evidence New Matrix exists meaningfully.Created seventeen months ago, it has scant online information.
## Owners tied to blacklisted firm
New Matrix's owners have ties to a Chinese private equity firm blacklisted by the US government since two thousand twenty-four.
## Trump relaxed China chip restrictions
Nvidia faced restrictions under Biden. The Trump administration relaxed those limits after Nvidia agreed to give the government a fifteen-percent cut of all sales. CEO Jensen Huang also launched an intense lobbying campaign.
## Key takeaway

The US government approved Nvidia H200 chip sales to New Matrix, a Chinese firm with an empty office and ties to blacklisted entities, exposing weak oversight of restricted technology exports.