Saturday, 14 March, 2026
China’s Underground AI Chip Repair Industry Surges Despite U.S. Ban on Nvidia GPUs
By Isha
China has seen explosive growth in specialist repair services for Nvidia’s banned AI GPUs—especially H100 and A100 models—smuggled into the country despite U.S. export restrictions from 2022. In Shenzhen alone, around a dozen boutique firms now fix up to 500 chips monthly, charging ￥10,000–20,000 ($1,400–$2,800) per repair, about 10% of original price. The surge highlights gaps in enforcement as demand pivots to even newer B200 chips.
Read full story at Economic Times