The New York Times reported that the U.S. Commerce Department approved dozens of Chinese firms to handle Nvidia H200 chips, some with ties to companies under national-security sanctions. In coverage of that investigation, The Verge reported that New Matrix was among the approved firms and relayed observations about its listed address that raised questions about screening.
Approval to handle a chip and a record of its delivery are different things.
What was reported about New Matrix
The Verge said the New York Times investigation identified New Matrix as a firm approved to handle H200 chips. That reported approval concerns permission to handle the accelerators; it is a separate event from any particular company's receipt of hardware.
NeoTeo previously covered reports of H200 shipments to ByteDance and Tencent. The New Matrix reporting addresses a different issue: the screening of firms approved to handle the chips.
Observations at the listed address
The New York Times account, as relayed by The Verge, described New Matrix’s listed office as apparently empty. The company did not appear in the building directory, and a receptionist and a manager at a nearby industrial-park property-management agency reportedly said they had no record of it. These are observations about the listed location and the property manager’s records.
The same account said New Matrix’s owners had ties to an unnamed Chinese private-equity firm that the U.S. government had blacklisted since 2024.
U.S. export clearance and China import approval
U.S. export approval and China’s approval of imports are separate steps. Thomasnet reported that the U.S. government approved H200 exports to China under a conditional rule on January 13, 2026. In a January 28 report, Reuters said China had approved its first batch of H200 imports, citing sources familiar with the matter.
A general approval at either stage describes permission; it is not a record of a specific firm receiving a shipment.
