Nvidia, a prominent U.S. chipmaker, is set to release a modified version of a gaming processor in China, named the Nvidia RTX 4090D, with reduced performance to adhere to U.S. export regulations. This new version will feature 11% less CUDA cores compared to its international counterparts. CUDA cores are vital components of Nvidia’s advanced RTX line of gaming GPUs, serving as a parallel processing unit akin to CPU cores.

The adjustment is a response to U.S. government export controls aimed at limiting China’s access to certain advanced chips, including those capable of supporting AI technologies. Despite no immediate comment from Nvidia, a representative confirmed the chip’s compliance with U.S. export controls and mentioned the company’s extensive engagement with the U.S. government during its development.

Notably, the standard Nvidia RTX 4090 was previously listed as a banned export due to its potential AI applications. Despite these challenges, Nvidia has experienced significant stock growth in 2023, largely driven by a surge in AI demand, notably influenced by the development of AI technologies like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.