Reuters, citing IDC, reported that Nvidia held 34% of China’s data-center AI-chip market in the first half of 2026, compared with 28% for Huawei. The rounded figures put Nvidia ahead by about six percentage points; Huawei had not overtaken it in that snapshot. The account of the IDC figures also reported that Nvidia shipped 678,000 AI accelerators in China from January through June, 44% fewer than a year earlier.
How Nvidia and Huawei split China’s H1 market
An AI accelerator is a specialized chip used to train or run AI models. The reported shares cover China’s data-center AI-chip and accelerator market during January–June 2026—not Nvidia’s global business or the country’s entire semiconductor market.
| Supplier | Reported share |
| Nvidia | 34% |
| Huawei | 28% |
| T-Head | 7% |
| Cambricon | 5% |
| Kunlunxin | 4% |
| Hygon | 3% |
The six-percentage-point gap is a calculation from rounded figures, rather than a separately reported measure. Still, it gives a clear read of the period: Nvidia led, while Huawei held a substantial share of the same market.
Shipments tell a different part of the story
Nvidia’s reported 678,000 shipments were down 44% year over year. Huawei shipped 572,000 accelerators in the same six-month period and held 28% share. Across China, total AI-accelerator shipments reached 2.008 million.
A separate figure puts GPU shipments at 991,000, down 26%. That is a GPU shipment count, distinct from the 2.008 million total for AI accelerators; the two measures should not be added together or treated as interchangeable.
The reported supplier picture extends beyond the two largest shares in the table. Nine of the 11 Chinese chipmakers tracked by IDC increased shipments year over year.
Export controls and domestic suppliers form the backdrop
Reuters-based accounts linked Nvidia’s falling position in China to U.S. export restrictions, Chinese promotion of domestic alternatives, and limits or approval requirements affecting imports of Nvidia chips that comply with U.S. restrictions. The figures show the market snapshot; the reporting presents these policy and competitive factors as context.
Huang’s 2025 remarks and the later estimate
In remarks reported in October 2025, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang described the company as being out of China and said its market share had fallen from 95% to zero. Benzinga’s account of Huang’s remarks dates that statement to 2025. The 34% figure is a separate estimate for China’s data-center AI-accelerator market in the first half of 2026.
