WASHINGTON, D.C./BEIJING: A unit of Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE and two other Chinese companies have received U.S. approval to purchase advanced artificial intelligence chips from Nvidia and AMD, expanding the list of firms granted access to the technology despite ongoing export restrictions.

According to documents and sources familiar with the matter, ZTE Kangxun Telecom and server maker Maginfra have been cleared to buy Nvidia's H200 chips, while Zhuhai Hengqin Yunxiang Zhisheng Network Technology, a subsidiary of cloud computing company Kingsoft, has been approved to use certain AMD chips that compete with the H200.

The approvals broaden the known group of Chinese companies participating in the U.S. licensing process beyond major internet firms and electronics distributors.

It was reported in May that Washington had approved around 10 Chinese companies, including Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance and JD.com, to purchase Nvidia's H200 chips, although deliveries had not yet begun because the deals remained subject to regulatory reviews in both the United States and China.

Some Chinese cloud service providers have since told partners and customers they may soon receive H200 chips, suggesting Chinese authorities are making progress in reviewing imports, the sources said.

The H200 is one of Nvidia's most powerful AI chips and is widely used to train and run large language models. It has become a key focus of the U.S.-China technology rivalry, with Washington tightening restrictions on advanced AI chip exports since 2022 over concerns they could support China's military modernization.

The Trump administration has nevertheless permitted exports of the H200 under a licensing system, with supporters arguing the sales reinforce U.S. technological leadership. Nvidia has also sought to maintain access to China, one of its largest markets.

China, meanwhile, continues to promote domestic AI chip alternatives, creating uncertainty over whether U.S.-approved sales will ultimately proceed even after export licenses are granted.

ZTE, Maginfra, Kingsoft, Nvidia, AMD, China's Ministry of Commerce and the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security did not immediately comment.