Ford shows off the tech going into its $30,000 electric pickup truck

Ford may be discontinuing its F-150 Lightning pickup but it hasn’t given up on electric cars. CEO Jim Farley just teased the automaker’s electric pickup based on its new Universal Electric Vehicle platform that he called “one of the most audacious and important projects in Ford's history.”

The Universal EV platform will be used on a family of affordable EVs sold around the world, but will start with a mid-sized pickup for the US built in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s set to go on sale next year with a target price of $30,000.

Farley discussed some of the tech going into the pickup, particularly the aerodynamics, a key aspect if Ford is to compete with rivals. “The team is spending countless hours getting every last drop of aero efficiency on the mid-size electric pickup,” he noted. Farley also discussed the “simplified aluminum unicastings [that] condense over 146 parts into two” as a way to boost production efficiency.

Ford will invest $5 billion, including $2 billion at the Louisville factory on top of $3 billion already announced for its BlueOval battery plant. It will expand the Louisville facility by 52,000 square feet and "create or secure" nearly 4,000 direct jobs, the company said late last year.

Ford hasn't yet revealed the pickup’s name or shown a photo, but it’s supposed to have more interior room than a Toyota RAV4. Buyers will be able to lock bikes or surfboards into the pickup bed, mooting the need for roof or trailer hitch racks. It will have a low center of gravity from the battery, instant torque and a 0 to 60 mph time "as fast as a Mustang EcoBoost [around 4.5 seconds], with more downforce," Ford said.

Jim Farley famously imported a famously fast and high-tech Xiaomi SU7 EV from China and drove it daily, telling a podcaster he didn’t want to “give it up.” Hopefully, his experience will result in more tech-forward Ford EVs based on the Universal platform.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/ford-shows-off-the-tech-going-into-its-30000-electric-pickup-truck-140000509.html?src=rss

EU says TikTok uses ‘addictive design’ and must change

TikTok’s signature features that hooked users around the world are its algorithm and endless scroll. Now, though, the European Union has called those aspects of the app illegal and may order the company to alter them.

“Today, the European Commission preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act for its addictive design,” the EU’s regulator said in a press release. “This includes features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and its highly personalized recommender system.” It said that TikTok failed to put up safeguards to ensure that those “addictive” features don’t “harm the physical and mental wellbeing of users,” including minors.

“For example, by constantly ‘rewarding' users with new content, certain design features of TikTok fuel the urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain of users into ‘autopilot mode'. Scientific research shows that this may lead to compulsive behaviour and reduce users' self-control,” the regulators stated.

TikTok’s current parental controls and features to limit screen time are insufficient, the Commission added, and TikTok may need to modify them. The platform may also be required to limit its infinite scroll and adjust its recommendation algorithms.

The EU Commission will give TikTok an opportunity to rebut the findings and the company said would use “any means available” to challenge them. “The commission’s preliminary findings present a categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform,” the company told The New York Times in a statement.

Europe opened its wide-ranging investigation against TikTok in February 2024 and has already found the company at fault for its data sharing practices and advertising transparency. If found guilty of violating the DSA, TikTok faces a fine up to six percent of its annual worldwide turnover.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/eu-says-tiktok-uses-addictive-design-and-must-change-131738425.html?src=rss

HBO is making a Baldur’s Gate 3 TV show

The Last of Us series co-creator Craig Mazin is teaming with Hasbro Entertainment to create an HBO series based on the popular (and spicy) Baldur’s Gate 3 game, Deadline reported. The show will be simply be called Baldur’s Gate and the story will resume where Baldur’s Gate 3 left off. Mazin will reportedly have full creative control and act as co-creator, writer, executive producer and showrunner.

"It is a dream come true to be able to continue the story that [Baldur’s Gate 3 developer] Larian and Wizards of The Coast created," Mazin said in a statement. "I am a devoted fan of DnD and the brilliant way that Swen Vincke and his gifted team adapted it. I can’t wait to help bring Baldur’s Gate and all of its incredible characters to life with as much respect and love as we can.”

Larian, which won’t be making the Baldur’s Gate 3 sequel, said it wasn’t involved in the creation of the show. However, Larian CEO Swen Vincke said that to his knowledge, Mazin is a “big fan” of the game and even requested to visit the studio (Mazin told Deadline that he has put about 1,000 hours into the game).

Mazin is best known for co-creating the Emmy-winning limited series Chernobyl as well as The Last of Us. The latter was widely praised for its first season but critics and fans were mixed on season 2, which deviated a bit more from the corresponding game.

The show will reportedly feature familiar and new characters, but no other details have been released. A Baldur’s Gate 4 game is not currently in development, so the series creators will have no source material to draw from. That gives them a lot of freedom, but also puts the storytelling onus fully on Mazin and his team of writers. Wizards of the Coast story head Chris Perkins will reportedly act as a consultant on the show to ensure it doesn’t stray from its DnD origins.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/hbo-is-making-a-baldurs-gate-3-tv-show-130000864.html?src=rss

Sony’s holiday PS5 sales dropped 16 percent compared to last year

Sony has now shipped 92.2 million PlayStation 5 consoles in total around the world, but sales were down sharply over the holiday season compared to last year. In its latest earnings report, the company said it shipped eight million PS5s during its key third quarter, 1.5 million (16 percent) lower than in the same period last year. The gaming division still made more profit, though, thanks to a boost in software sales and a low yen.

Sony’s first two quarters this fiscal year saw an increase in PS5s sold, so the holiday decline is a bit surprising. That said, sales during the same period the previous year were an outlier at 9.5 million units sold, far and away its best period since the console went on sale in November 2020.

Software sales, however, were exceptional in Q3 this year. Sony sold 97.2 million games compared to 95.9 million the year before, and boosted digital sales to 76 percent, up 2 percent year-over-year. Sony said it also saw a record 132 million monthly active users on the PlayStation Network. New games on the horizon for PS5 include Resident Evil Requiem (February 27), Avowed (February 17) and Bungie’s Marathon (March 5).

With PS5 sales down a bit, it does raise the question of when the company’s next console is coming. The PS4 went seven years before being replaced, but given continued strong sales, high RAM prices and recent hardware updates, analysts figure that the PS5 is likely to have a longer life cycle. When the PS6 does arrive, however, it could offer triple the performance of the PS5.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sonys-holiday-ps5-sales-dropped-16-percent-compared-to-last-year-130000476.html?src=rss

Canon unveils a Limited Edition version of its popular G7 X III compact camera

Canon released its first PowerShot camera back in 1996 with a 0.5-megapixel sensor, helping kickstart the digital photo revolution. To celebrate that 30-year anniversary, the company has unveiled a Limited Edition version of its still-popular PowerShot G7 X III compact camera. It has a few unique touches but is otherwise the same as the original model released nearly seven years ago.

The limited edition model has a new “graphite” color with a knurled front ring designed to exude “luxury and quality,” Canon wrote. It also carries 30 year anniversary logo printed on the body “to create a special feeling suitable for limited edition models,” the company added in the most Canon-y way possible.

Canon's Limited Edition PowerShot G7 X III compact camera
Canon's Limited Edition PowerShot G7 X III compact camera
Canon

As a reminder, the G7 X III was one of the first cameras announced specifically as a model for vloggers, thanks to its ability to shoot vertical video for Instagram. It features a 20.1MP sensor, flip-up 3-inch touchscreen, 24-100mm f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens and a microphone input. It supports 4K 30 fps video with no cropping and can shoot 1080p at 120 fps. The piece de resistance is direct streaming to YouTube directly over Wi-Fi, then a new thing but now a common feature. It originally retailed for $749.

The G7 X III had been in short supply until recently, but used models became popular with influencers several years ago and started selling way above list price. Possibly because of that viral fame, Canon announced in August 2025 that it was increasing production and the G7 X III started returning to stock a few months later priced at $880.

Canon's Limited Edition PowerShot G7 X III compact camera
Canon's Limited Edition PowerShot G7 X III compact camera
Canon

The Limited Edition G7 X III is selling for a lot more than that at $1,299, though it does come with a limited edition Peak Design cuff wrist strap and 32GB SD card. If you want to one-up the influencers and grab one, shipping will start in April 2026.

Along with the camera, Canon announced a pair of interesting new RF-mount full-frame lenses. The first is the ultra wide angle RF 14mm f/1.4 L VCM prime model priced at $2,599, promising bright, high quality optics. The other is a very interesting $1,899 RF7-14mm f/2.8-3.5 L Fisheye STM zoom lens with up to a 190 degree perspective at the widest setting.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/canon-unveils-a-limited-edition-version-of-its-popular-g7-x-iii-compact-camera-040000700.html?src=rss

X’s Paris HQ raided by French prosecutors

Paris prosecutors announced that a search was underway at offices belong to Elon Musk’s X platform as part of an ongoing investigation first launched in January 2025. The raid is being conducted by Paris and national cybercrime units, with support from Interpol, according to post from Paris prosecutors on X. Officials from X have yet to comment on the matter.

At the same time, Paris prosecutors issued summonses to Elon Musk and Linda Yaccarino for “voluntary interviews” on April 20, 2026 in Paris. The prosecutors also announced they would no longer use X and would only communicate on LinkedIn and Instagram going forward.

The searches are part of an investigation that has been ongoing for nearly a year over the functioning of X’s algorithms that are “likely to have distorted the operation of an automated data processing system,” investigators said at the time. Those changes reportedly gave greater prominence to certain political content (especially from Musk) without user knowledge — something that could be a crime under French laws.

An investigation was officially launched in July, with Paris prosecutors adding an additional charge: “Fraudulent extraction of data from an automated data processing system by an organized group.” More recently, it also includes “complicity in the possession of images of minors representing a pedo-pornographic character,” due to images created by Grok between December 25, 2025 and January 1, 2026.

In July, X said in a statement that the probe “egregiously undermines X’s fundamental right to due process and threatens our users' rights to privacy and free speech. [French officials have] accused X of manipulating its algorithm for 'foreign interference' purposes, an allegation which is completely false.”

Update, Feb 3 2026, 4:00pm ET: X posted a lengthly statement on its Global Government Affairs account, calling the allegations “baseless” and stating the company “categorically denies any wrongdoing.” The company went on to describe the raid as “an abusive act of law enforcement theater designed to achieve illegitimate political objectives rather than advance legitimate law enforcement goals.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/xs-paris-hq-raided-by-french-prosecutors-110411170.html?src=rss

The Switch just surpassed the DS as Nintendo’s best-selling console ever

The original Switch just became Nintendo’s best-selling console ever with 155.37 million units as of December 31, 2025, overtaking the DS which sold 154.02 million units from 2004-2011. It was part of a holiday surge that saw the company move 7.01 million Switch 2s (and 17.37 million through Q3 of its fiscal year), making it the “fastest-selling dedicated video platform released by Nintendo to date,” the company said in its earnings report.

Despite being supplanted by the Switch 2, the Switch keeps selling decently (1.36 million units in Q3 fiscal 2026), due to its relatively cheap price. Nintendo reported last year that it was just trailing the DS in sales and would likely surpass it after Christmas. The Switch is now just 4.63 million units behind Sony’s PS2, the best-selling console of all time — so Nintendo would have to keep selling it for at least a couple more years to get the record.

The Switch 2, meanwhile, has been a sales machine. With high holiday sales that exceeded expectations, Nintendo should easily reach its 19 million sales goal for fiscal 2026 ending March 31 this year. The company has already (easily) busted through its original sales forecast of 15 million consoles set earlier in 2025.

Game sales were also strong, with Mario Kart World hitting 14 million units and Donkey Kong Bananza selling 4.25 million since the Switch 2’s launch. With all that, the company saw 803.32 billion yen in sales for Q3 ($5.2 billion), up 86 percent over last year but a bit less than expected, and 159.93 billion yen in profit ($1.03 billion), 20 percent higher than the same period last year.

Whether the company can continue that may depend on the strength of its upcoming game lineup. Two of those key titles are Mario Tennis Fever expected on February 12 and Pokemon Pokopia arriving in March.

Updated Feb 3, 2026: The post has been updated to show the correct number of Switch units Nintendo would have to sell to catch Sony’s PS2.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-switch-just-surpassed-the-ds-as-nintendos-best-selling-console-ever-083700901.html?src=rss

Sony A7 V review: Awesome speed and photo quality

Sony A7 series camera launches are eagerly anticipated by camera lovers, as those models are typically a showcase for the company’s latest imaging tech. The new A7 V is a great example of that: it’s equipped with Sony's new 33-megapixel partially-stacked sensor — the most advanced in any midrange full-frame mirrorless model.

The A7 V’s resolution is higher than rivals like Panasonic’s S1 II and the Nikon Z6 III in this category while matching Canon’s R6 III. However, Sony trumps the latter with a faster sensor that promises lower rolling shutter distortion in electronic mode. Sony also boasts that it offers the highest dynamic range of any of its cameras to date. 

Unlike Canon with the R6 III, Sony didn’t bend over backwards to accommodate creators, though. Video resolution is limited to 4K, and the A7 V lacks any RAW video capability, compared to 7K and RAW for Canon’s latest model. All of that means the A7 V may be great for some buyers, but fall short for others.

Like other recent Sony cameras, I didn’t find the A7 V comfortable to hold for long periods of time. That’s because the grip, while deep, is a bit short and too small for large hands. At the same time, it has harder exterior materials than Canon’s cameras and is a bit heavier than the A7 IV at 1.53 pounds (698 grams) compared to 1.45 pounds (653 grams) for its predecessor. 

The handling makes up for the lack of comfort, though. It has two dials for the primary controls (shutter speed and aperture), along with a third for exposure compensation. There’s a dual dial with a shooting mode on top and video/photo/S&Q below, plus a rear joystick, rear dial and nine buttons. The main controls fell nicely to my hands, which made camera control a cinch. 

The A7 V has the same well-organized menu system as other recent Sony models and it's easy to customize dials, buttons and quick menus to your liking. Overall, Sony’s menus are now among the best, and functions are easier to access than on Canon’s R6 III, for example.

The 3.69-million dot EVF display is relatively sharp and on par with the R6 III, but falls short of 5.76-million-dot EVF on the significantly cheaper Nikon Z6 III. The 3.2-inch rear display fully articulates as before, but it also tilts now, so I was able to easily shoot from high and low angles. It’s also slightly bigger and has 2.1 million dots, up from 1.65 million dots on the A7 IV. 

The A7 V has a dual-slot card system with two SD UHS II slots and a faster CFexpress Type A slot. However, Type A CFexpress cards are less than half as fast as the CFexpress B cards used in other cameras. The A7 V includes a full-sized HDMI port for external display, 3.5mm mic and headphone ports, and two USB-C ports — one for charging and one for 10Gbps data transfers. Battery life is decent with up to 630 shots on a charge or 100 minutes of continuous 4K 30 fps capture. The camera isn’t constrained much by temperature limits, as I was able to shoot 4K 30p video for 90 minutes straight with no issues. 

The 33MP partially-stacked sensor has made a big difference in the A7 V’s speed and autofocus accuracy. It can now hit 30 fps blackout-free RAW burst speeds with the electronic shutter (with autofocus and auto exposure enabled), compared to an anemic 10 fps with the A7 IV. That makes it a surprisingly good choice for sports and wildlife photography, or just shooting fast-moving kids or pets. Speeds drop to 10 fps in mechanical shutter mode, which is on par for this category.

ISO 6400, f/2.8, 1/40th
ISO 6400, f/2.8, 1/40th
Steve Dent for Engadget

Rolling shutter distortion is only an issue when shooting super fast subjects like airplane propellers or golf swings. And unlike Canon’s R6 III and other rivals, the A7 V maintains full 14-bit RAW quality during electronic shutter bursts instead of dropping to 12-bit RAW, which allows for higher dynamic range.

As you’d expect with Sony, autofocus is fast and extremely accurate, delivering the best in-focus hit rate of any camera in this price range. When tracking moving subjects like bikes, birds or kids, I rarely saw a blurry shot. This applied even in tricky lighting and chaotic situations with multiple subjects. The A7 V also nailed auto exposure and auto white balance, even when I shot at dusk with a mix of indoor and outdoor lighting.

Sony’s latest AI features make it easy to track nearly anything. Face, eye and body tracking are supported for people, and you can also follow animals, birds, insects, cars, trains and airplanes. The AI has been trained to track people in any position, even if they’re partially obscured or disappear in the frame. This proved to be convenient when I shot street photos in crowds with a specific subject in mind. 

This does bring up one sore point with the A7 V. When using third-party lenses, the burst rate speeds drop from 30 fps to 15 fps. In addition, you may not be able to use some lenses at all in AF-C (continuous) mode without applying a firmware update.  

In-body stabilization is improved significantly over the A7 IV from 5.5 to 7.5 stops with compatible lenses, but falls short of all rivals that hit at least eight stops. Still, I was comfortably able to shoot at shutter speeds as low as a half second handheld without any camera blur. 

Photo quality is where the A7 V shines. Dynamic range is superior to rival cameras, both in the real world and specialized testing. This is due to Sony’s latest dual gain output tech that combines two ISO levels at once integrated with the new 33MP partially-stacked sensor (when using the mechanical shutter). 

I noticed this when taking photos at twilight in several of Paris’ squares. After shooting a statue against a bright sky, I was able to extract noise-free shadow detail from RAW files and easily adjust bright areas. When shooting ducks in water that reflected a bright sky, I saw similarly high levels of detail in both dark and bright picture areas. There is one thing to keep in mind, though: As Photons to Photos noted, there’s a slight drop in dynamic range below ISO 1,000 when using the electronic shutter.

Should you need even more detail and dynamic range, Sony’s new Composite RAW feature that’s borrowed from the A9 III combines four, eight, 16, or 32 RAW images to reduce noise and improve image quality. I used it to photograph some high-contrast scenes on a sunny Paris day and it dramatically reduced noise, but isn’t a good option for moving subjects.

Sony's A7 V has plenty of manual controls for easy operation
Sony's A7 V has plenty of manual controls for easy operation
Steve Dent for Engadget

JPEGs look great straight out of the camera with excellent detail, though noise reduction can be a bit excessive at high ISOs. Sony’s color science has improved over the last model, so colors are accurate and the magenta-hue issues seem to be largely resolved. However,I still find Canon’s cameras capture more accurate skin tones.

The A7 V is a low-light marvel, with relatively noise-free photos all the way up to ISO 12,800 and usable shots at ISO 25,600. What’s remarkable is that the A7 V beats all its 24MP rivals in this regard, despite the nearly 50 percent higher resolution. 

Sony added a new “Compressed RAW HQ” mode with the A7 V, designed to deliver better compressed RAW quality while keeping files smaller than “Lossless RAW.” Note that this new mode is not currently supported by Adobe Lightroom, so I’d avoid using it for now. 

Sony's A7 V can take sharp video but doesn't stand up against rivals.
Sony's A7 V can take sharp video but doesn't stand up against rivals.
Sony

Two or three years ago, the A7 V would have been fine for video but not in 2026. While all its rivals are embracing internal RAW video at 6K or 7K, Sony is sticking with 10-bit 4K MP4 at up to 60 fps, or 4K 120 with an APS-C crop. The video is oversampled from a 7K sensor size so it’s very sharp though, and S-Log3 is available to boost dynamic range. 

Sony likely thinks that creators using this camera will mostly shoot 4K MP4 (as I do), so it didn’t feel that RAW was a must. However, users who do need the benefits of RAW — like minimal degradation when editing, flexible white balance and improved dynamic range — can’t even do external RAW capture. The 4K max resolution and lack of open gate 3:2 is also a downside for creators who like to reframe shots in post or output to social media. 

With that all said, you can capture high-quality 10-bit 4K 60 fps video with the A7 V. The S-Log3 Cine/S-Log 3 option and high data rate 4:2:2 HS video provide flexibility in post, letting you easily correct over- or under-exposed video or tweak colors. As with photos, color accuracy is nearly on par with Panasonic and other rivals. Shooting in low-light is a breeze, especially when you know that noise levels will be minimal even at high ISO speeds. 

Sony has some extra video tricks like focus breathing compensation that eliminates zooming when focusing from a near to a far subject. And the A7 V comes with a new AI Auto Framing mode, which recognizes and crops in on humans, keeping them centered in the frame. I was able to keep subjects centered (while stabilizing the shot) as long as I didn’t move the camera excessively.

Autofocus is just as excellent for video as photos, with the same level of speed and accuracy. AI-powered autofocus supports all the same modes (people, animals, etc.) and usually nails focus of human or animal eyes, like when I captured footage of some ducks and dogs. 

Video stabilization is also very good, just behind Panasonic’s S1 II and ahead of the Canon R6 III. In regular optical-only mode, it removes shaking from handheld video without too much movement. When you engage the “Active” mode, it adds electronic stabilization with a small crop for panning or tilting, and “Dynamic Active” lets you walk with surprisingly smooth results. Rolling shutter is rarely an issue for most types of shooting, including walking, unless you really whip the camera around. The lack of rolling shutter skew also makes it easier to apply stabilization in post with Adobe Premiere or DaVinci Resolve.

ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/500th
ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/500th
Steve Dent for Engadget

The A7 V is an incredible camera for photography, with speeds, autofocus accuracy and image quality ahead of rivals, including the Canon R6 III, Panasonic S1 II and Nikon Z6 III.However, Sony isn’t keeping up with those models for video. The A7 V is missing RAW, native resolution and open gate capture, all of which can be found on the aforementioned cameras. That makes it hard to recommend for serious video users or creators who use full-frame open gate to export high-quality vertical video. 

There’s one intangible, though. I enjoyed taking pictures with the A7 V more than other cameras I’ve tested lately because of the AF accuracy and image results. For anyone who wants a fast, reliable and easy-to-use camera for photography, I can’t recommend it enough. For video creators, though, I’d look at Canon’s R6 III, the Panasonic S1 II, or if you’re on a budget, Nikon’s Z6 III.


This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/sony-a7-v-review-awesome-speed-and-photo-quality-130000592.html?src=rss

UK wants to give web publishers a ‘fairer’ deal with Google’s AI overviews

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is recommending measures to give publishers more control over how their content is used in Google’s AI overviews. The aim is to “provide a fairer deal for content publishers, particularly news organizations,” the CMA’s chief executive Sarah Cardell said in a press release.

With Google accounting for more than 90 percent of search inquiries in the UK, the CMA recently designated the company with “strategic market status” for search under the Digital Market Act. That allows the regulator to apply “conduct requirements” on Google to promote competition and avoid antitrust issues.

With those new powers, the CMA proposed a number of measures today. The first is a set of controls that would allow publishers to opt out of their content being used for features like AI Overviews or to train AI models. Google would also need to properly attribute publisher content.

Another measure would require Google to apply fair search result rankings for businesses, with an “effective process for raising and investigating issues.” Google would also need to provide a “choice screen” for alternative search options on Android mobile and Chrome browsers.

“These targeted and proportionate actions would give UK businesses and consumers more choice and control over how they interact with Google’s search services — as well as unlocking greater opportunities for innovation across the UK tech sector and broader economy,” Cardell said in a statement.

In response, Google wrote that it’s “exploring updates to let sites specifically opt out of Search generative AI features.” The aim, it said, is to keep search helpful for people who want information quickly while allowing publishers to better manage content. “Any new controls need to avoid breaking Search in a way that leads to a fragmented or confusing experience for people,” the company wrote, adding that it’s “optimistic” it can meet the CMA’s requirements.

When its new designation was announced in October 2025, Google complained that some of the proposed interventions would inhibit UK innovation and growth. Citing a study, the company said that similar measures imposed by the European Union produced “negative results” that “have cost businesses $114 billion.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/uk-wants-to-give-web-publishers-a-fairer-deal-with-googles-ai-overviews-132742850.html?src=rss

China finally approves the first batch of NVIDIA H200 AI GPU imports

China has agreed to import its first batch of NVIDIA’s H200 AI chips after the government initially rejected the idea, Reuters reported. Several hundred thousand H200 chips were approved for sale in the country following NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang’s visit there last week, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The US government allowed the sale of NVIDIA’s H200 processors to vetted and approved companies in China late last year. The first sales have been allocated mainly to three unnamed Chinese internet companies and the government is accepting applications for future approvals, according to the sources.

NVIDIA’s most powerful AI chip, the Blackwell B200, is still restricted for export to China. Despite that, over $1 billion worth of those and other high-end NVIDIA chips made their way to China via black market sales, according to previous reports.

The H200 is NVIDIA’s second most powerful AI GPU behind the B200, which is reportedly 10 times faster for some jobs. However, the H200 is still far more capable than NVIDIA’s H20, which was the only chip approved for export to China prior to the Trump administration’s H200 approval in December. Initially, China’s government rejected that chip in favor of domestically developed semiconductors.

China is trying to become self-reliant for its AI chips and infrastructure, with Huawei currently offering the best processors domestically. However, AI chip experts have said NVIDIA's tech is still far ahead of anything that Huawei or other Chinese companies can currently produce.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/china-finally-approves-the-first-batch-of-nvidia-h200-ai-gpu-imports-130000335.html?src=rss