China may have blocked Nvidia’s biggest customer in the country from using its chips

Chinese regulators have reportedly banned TikTok-owner ByteDance from using Nvidia chips in new data centres. A report by The Information (seen by Reuters) cited ByteDance employees to make this claim. This reported ban highlights Beijing’s effort to reduce its reliance on US technology, a push that has grown as Washington tightens restrictions on the export of advanced semiconductors to China. The move is significant because ByteDance was reportedly Nvidia’s largest customer in China in 2025, purchasing more chips than any other local firm. The company had been racing to secure computing power for its large user base amid concerns that the U.S. might curb supply. In August, Chinese regulators had asked local firms to stop placing new orders for Nvidia AI chips and have since urged companies to adopt processors developed within China.