That message appears to have resonated in Washington. Nvidia confirmed last week that it had received US government approval to resume H20 sales to China. While Nvidia is poised to benefit financially, US officials say the move also serves national interests.

Nvidia will ramp up supply of Chinese-compliant H20 chips in the coming months and look to bring more advanced semiconductors to the world's second-largest technology market, Chief Executive Jensen Huang said at an event in Beijing.