Nvidia has begun taking orders for its Vera AI CPUs in China, seeking to rebuild its presence in a market constrained by U.S. export controls.
Nvidia is pitching its new Vera central processing units (CPUs) to Chinese customers, with shipments potentially starting as early as August, according to sources familiar with the matter. The move signals the company’s efforts to regain momentum in China, where its AI chip business has been hit by U.S. export restrictions and growing competition from domestic suppliers.
The Vera processor, unveiled earlier this year, is Nvidia’s first standalone CPU designed specifically for AI data centres and agentic AI applications. Unlike traditional AI accelerators, the chip is intended to handle backend computing tasks that support autonomous AI systems and large-scale inference workloads. Nvidia has positioned Vera as a key growth product and expects it to become a significant contributor to future revenue.
Sources said Nvidia has begun informing Chinese clients that orders can be placed, with some companies already expressing interest. One major cloud service provider is reportedly planning to test Vera-based servers before deciding on broader deployment. Initial evaluations are expected to take place in overseas data centres.
The company’s push comes as sales of its advanced AI GPUs in China face ongoing challenges. Deliveries of the H200 accelerator have remained stalled, while export controls and China’s drive for semiconductor self-sufficiency have sharply reduced Nvidia’s presence in the market. By offering CPUs, which are subject to fewer restrictions than high-end GPUs, Nvidia hopes to maintain access to Chinese customers and participate in the country’s expanding AI infrastructure investments.
Built on Arm architecture, Vera places Nvidia in direct competition with established server processor suppliers Intel and AMD. The launch also coincides with growing demand for CPUs as AI workloads increasingly shift from model training to inference, creating supply constraints across the server processor market.
With production already underway and customer interest emerging, Nvidia is betting that Vera can open a new growth avenue in China while strengthening its position in the global AI data centre ecosystem.
