AMD confirms approval to ship modified MI308 chips to China under new U.S. licensing rules

AMD CEO Lisa Su says the company can export its MI308 accelerators to China under U.S. licenses and is prepared to pay a 15% fee, even as China urges Washington to protect global supply-chain stability.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has confirmed it holds U.S. government licenses to export select AI chips to China, including the MI308—a restricted variant designed to meet tightened U.S. export rules. Speaking at a technology forum hosted by Wired in San Francisco, CEO Lisa Su said the company is willing to pay a 15% charge imposed by Washington if shipments proceed.

The fee follows an August announcement by President Donald Trump outlining an arrangement that would allow Nvidia and AMD to resume exporting certain chips to China in exchange for the levy. The move has sparked debate among legal experts, some of whom argue the arrangement may conflict with constitutional limits on taxing exports.

China seeks stability as tech restrictions tighten

Responding to the latest policy shift, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the United States to take “concrete actions” to maintain stable global supply chains.

AMD’s MI308—positioned as a downgraded model of its MI300X accelerator—was added to export restrictions in April alongside Nvidia’s H20. Both were redesigned specifically for the Chinese market after earlier curbs on high-performance AI processors.

Complicating matters further, Beijing has issued directives requiring state-funded data centre projects to use domestically developed AI chips. Analysts say this guidance could restrict market access for U.S. chipmakers including AMD, Nvidia and Intel, intensifying competition with China’s emerging semiconductor vendors as geopolitical and regulatory pressures continue to reshape the AI hardware landscape.