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The reported opening concerns RTX PRO 5500 cards for professional computers, not Nvidia’s larger data-center chips. No purchase approval has been confirmed.
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China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reportedly asked ByteDance, Alibaba and other firms how many Nvidia RTX PRO 5500 workstation cards they want and why. The Information also reported that officials signaled some purchases could be approved, but no authorization, quantities or timeline are confirmed. Even if sales proceed, the opening would apply to a workstation product—not Nvidia’s larger data-center chips—and U.S. export controls and China’s import limits could still constrain shipments.
The RTX PRO 5500 has 84 GB of memory and draws up to 600 watts, according to BeInCrypto.
Nvidia’s $108 billion current-quarter revenue forecast assumes no China data-center chip revenue; workstation-card sales would be a separate category.
Some industry executives expect the card to avoid U.S. export restrictions, but Nvidia says U.S. and Chinese restrictions both remain relevant.
Chinese officials have reportedly signaled that some companies could buy a new Nvidia chip, but no purchase approval has been confirmed. The Information reported that a government ministry sought ByteDance’s and Alibaba’s plans to buy the RTX PRO 5500, a card for professional computers. Reuters could not independently verify the report.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology asked companies including ByteDance and Alibaba to report their RTX PRO 5500 purchase plans, according to The Information. The reported request covered how many cards the companies wanted and why. It establishes interest in potential purchases, not a completed sale or approval.
The ministry also told some Chinese companies that the government intended to approve purchases, The Information reported. The report did not say how many cards China might allow or when purchases could proceed; the reported intention is not a final decision.
Nvidia markets the RTX PRO 5500 for AI agents, inference—using a trained model to produce answers—and simulation. The workstation card has 84 GB of memory and can draw up to 600 watts, BeInCrypto reported; it is not the data-center hardware Nvidia has sold to China in bulk.
Some industry executives expect the card to avoid U.S. export restrictions, The Information reported. An Nvidia spokesperson said U.S. firms remain constrained by American export controls and China’s limits on U.S. imports, so Chinese approval alone would not settle whether the cards could be sold.
Nvidia says its $108 billion revenue forecast for the current quarter assumes no China data-center chip revenue. Sales of this workstation card, if permitted, would be a different category. The distinction limits what the reported signal says about Nvidia’s larger chip business.
Beijing told firms to stop buying Nvidia’s RTX Pro 6000D in September 2025, BeInCrypto reported. That decision concerned a different card and does not establish how officials will handle the 5500.
Alibaba and ByteDance did not immediately answer Reuters’ requests for comment, and Reuters could not immediately reach the Chinese government. The key test now is whether officials approve purchases—and, if they do, which buyers and quantities they permit.
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