TikTok Barred from Nvidia Chips by Chinese Regulators
By Reuters | 26 Nov, 2025

TikTok parent Bytedance was the leading Chinese buyer of Nvidia GPUs but now appears to have been forced to fall in line with Beiing's ambitions to build a domestic AI supply chain.

Chinese regulators have barred TikTok-owner ByteDance from deploying Nvidia chips in new data centers, The Information reported on Wednesday, citing two company employees.

ByteDance bought more Nvidia chips than any other Chinese firm in 2025 as it raced to secure computing power for its billion-plus users amid concerns Washington could curb supply, according to the report.

The reported ban underscores Beijing's efforts to reduce reliance on U.S. technology, a campaign that has intensified as Washington tightens curbs on exports of advanced semiconductors to China.

In August, Chinese regulators asked local firms to halt new orders of Nvidia AI chips and have since pushed companies to adopt homegrown processors, Bloomberg reported, citing people close to Chinese tech regulators.

"The regulatory landscape does not allow us to offer a competitive data center GPU in China, leaving that massive market to our rapidly growing foreign competitors," Nvidia spokesperson told Reuters.

ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Reuters reported earlier this month that the Chinese government has issued guidance requiring new data centre projects that have received any state funds to only use domestically-made artificial intelligence chips.

China is accelerating plans to build an alternative AI ecosystem and achieve chip self-sufficiency, even as trade tensions with Washington remain in a fragile pause.

Washington has barred sales of Nvidia's most advanced chips to China, allowing only scaled-down versions such as the H20. Nvidia had introduced a China-specific chip, the RTX6000D, but demand has been tepid, with some major tech firms opting not to place orders.

U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this month following talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping that Washington will "let them deal with Nvidia but not in terms of the most advanced" chips.

(Reporting by Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)