There’s a lot of buzz surrounding NVIDIA’s next AI chip, the Blackwell B30, which is rumored to be a “China-specific” solution aimed at dominating the inferencing market. While some may be confused about what this chip will actually bring to the table, new rumors indicate that Team Green has a competitive offering in the works. The previous AI chip introduced for China, the H20 AI accelerator, was affected by US export restrictions and was banned from the domestic market. As a result, NVIDIA has been working hard on a replacement, although the new B30 is said to be less powerful than its predecessor.
Despite this, the demand for the Blackwell B30 AI chip is expected to be huge, according to industry leaks. 
Reportedly, NVIDIA is preparing to ship millions of units by the end of the year, with major Chinese tech companies eager to get their hands on the chips. The B30 is said to be 25% slower than the H20 GPU, primarily due to the rumored switch from HBM to GDDR7 memory and some reduced capabilities. Even with this performance dip, the demand remains strong, especially in the context of a Chinese market focused on cost-effective inferencing solutions, with training already done using previous AI chips like the Hopper H100.
What makes the B30 appealing to Chinese companies is its efficiency. It is reportedly 30% more power-efficient than the H20 and comes at a 40% lower procurement cost, making it a more affordable option for small and medium-sized models. Additionally, the B30 AI chip can power rack-scale solutions, with clusters of 8 cards reportedly delivering up to 1.2TB/s of bandwidth. In essence, while the Blackwell B30 isn’t designed to be a high-end AI accelerator, it is positioned as a cost-effective solution for the broader AI market in China.
In other news, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has been meeting with top US officials like President Trump, who recently praised the company’s $4 trillion valuation. There’s speculation that Jensen may visit China soon to further strengthen NVIDIA’s ties to the region. However, the situation is complicated, with NVIDIA pushing for regulatory approval from the US government as they navigate the challenges of the Chinese AI market.