Interesting timing, considering China just launched an antitrust probe into Nvidia [1] and there were earlier reports about H20 order suspension [2]. This hiring push seems to be a delicate balancing act:

- Expanding autonomous driving R&D while navigating export controls - Maintaining Chinese market presence despite regulatory pressures - Building local expertise when H100/A100 sales are restricted

The automotive sector might be strategically chosen as it's less impacted by current chip restrictions. Worth noting that China remains Nvidia's largest market in Asia, accounting for ~20% of their revenue.

[1] https://www.reuters.com/technology/china-investigates-nvidia... [2] https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intell...