Dhaka, Dec. 21 -- US President Donald Trump's administration has launched a review that could result in the first shipments to China of Nvidia's second-most powerful AI chips, five sources said, making good on his pledge to allow the controversial sales.

Trump this month said he would allow sales of Nvidia's H200 chips to China, with the US government collecting a 25% fee, and that the sales would help keep US firms ahead of Chinese chipmakers by cutting demand for Chinese chips.

The move drew fire from China hawks across the US political spectrum over concerns the chips would supercharge Beijing's military and erode the US advantage in artificial intelligence.

But questions have remained about how quickly the US might approve such sal...