US to Claim 15% of Nvidia, AMD China AI Chip Sales Revenue

The United States established an agreement with semiconductor manufacturers Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), in which they will give the US government 15% of the revenue from sales of specific high-end AI chips to the Chinese market in exchange for export licenses.

The measure represents a new phase in Washington’s strategy to manage technological competition with China. This financial arrangement was a condition for the companies to receive the export licenses needed to resume sales in the Chinese market, according to a report first published by the Financial Times.

“We follow rules the US government sets for our participation in worldwide markets. While we have not shipped H20 to China for months, we hope export control rules will let America compete in China and worldwide,” says a Nvidia spokesperson in an email statement.

This agreement follows prolonged commercial and technological tension between the United States and China. For the last few years, Washington has implemented a series of increasingly strict export controls to limit China’s access to advanced semiconductors and manufacturing equipment. The primary goal of these restrictions has been to slow Beijing's military and technological development. This is particularly true in the field of AI, which relies heavily on high-performance processors.

In April 2025, the administration intensified these measures. It prohibited the sale of certain AI chips to Chinese entities, directly impacting products that Nvidia and AMD had specifically designed to comply with previous regulations. The Chinese market has historically represented a significant portion of revenue for companies like Nvidia. This generated considerable pressure to find a way to access that market without contravening US national security objectives.

This new revenue-sharing model appears to be the administration's solution to balance these competing interests. It allows US companies to generate revenue while the government exercises control and obtains direct financial compensation.

Agreement Details and Future Implications

The agreement shared by Financial Times specifies that Nvidia will remit 15% of the revenue from its H20 model AI accelerators. AMD will do the same with revenues from its MI308 chips. These semiconductors are modified versions of their more powerful products, engineered to meet the performance thresholds set by US export controls.

The implementation of this unprecedented agreement creates several implications for the B2B sector and the broader technology industry. Companies purchasing these chips in China should prepare for a potentially higher cost structure. It is likely that Nvidia and AMD will adjust their prices to mitigate the impact of the 15% revenue share. This could influence the total cost of ownership (TCO) of AI infrastructure for Chinese technology corporations.

The measure could inadvertently incentivize Chinese buyers to seek local alternatives. Chinese semiconductor companies might see this as an opportunity to accelerate their development and gain market share, reducing long-term dependence on US technology.

The US administration has not yet determined the specific use of the collected funds. However, there is speculation that the money could be reinvested into domestic initiatives like the CHIPS and Science Act. That law seeks to strengthen semiconductor manufacturing and research capabilities within the United States. This mechanism could create a new funding source for its objectives.

International trade experts have called the arrangement unusual. Directly linking export licenses for sensitive technology to a monetary payment establishes a new paradigm in trade and national security policy. The success or failure of this model could influence future negotiations and regulations in other strategic sectors.