Nvidia Halves Asian AI Chip Customer List After Creating Stricter White List to Block China Diversion

Nvidia has more than halved the number of Asian customers authorized to buy its AI chips after creating a new "white list" of buyers that passed stricter compliance vetting, the Financial Times reported Monday, citing three people familiar with the matter 12. The company intensified due diligence in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan over the past several months, and the revised review excluded more than half of its prior customers, particularly neo-cloud providers, though rejected firms can reapply after making changes 123. The stricter vetting includes Nvidia staff visiting customer data centers, verifying contracts and interviewing end users to confirm where chips are actually deployed 123. Reuters said it could not independently verify the report, and Nvidia did not respond to a request for comment 1. The Commerce Department issued guidance in May aimed at curbing advanced AI chips from reaching overseas subsidiaries of Chinese companies, after Nvidia's Blackwell processors reportedly reached Chinese-linked entities in Malaysia despite export restrictions 1.