<span>STORY: China has tightened controls on imports of American chips, including those made by Nvidia.</span><span>This is according to a report in the Financial Times on Friday.</span><span>It cites sources as saying customs officials have been sent to major ports to conduct strict inspections.</span><span>The move comes as Beijing intensifies its focus on promoting local semiconductors.</span><span>According to the Financial Times, the controls initially focused on Nvidia chips intended to comply with US restrictions on exports to China.</span><span>But he says they have since been expanded to cover all advanced semiconductor products that could violate those restrictions.</span><span>China’s access to Nvidia’s world-leading chips has been a major source of tension between Washington and Beijing.</span><span>The Financial Times says at least $1 billion of the company’s advanced silicon was smuggled into the country in the three months since May.</span><span>This contrasts with the supposedly tepid demand for a chip design that Nvidia can sell there.</span><span>While Huawei and other local companies have made progress in recent years, Reuters sources at Chinese technology companies say American chips are still considered to perform better.</span><span>In August, Donald Trump raised the possibility of allowing Nvidia to sell its most advanced products in China again, but there has been no news of an official policy change since then.</span>
