Lenovo AI Express Says '15 Business Days': How Should a China Tender Word Lead Time and the Deviation Table?

Tiers · clock-start conditions · deviation table · 13% VAT invoice

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中文版：联想 AI Express 15个工作日发货，投标交期怎么写？

Published 21 Oct 2026 · Shanghai TaoHan Industrial Co., Ltd. · Servers / AI Compute

Definition: Lenovo AI Express is a set of three validated, right-sized AI server configurations built with NVIDIA, positioned as a fast path to the Lenovo Hybrid AI Factory. "Order-to-ship" is the time from when all gating steps are complete to when the system leaves Lenovo. It is not arrival, customs clearance or installation.
Specifications and lead-time terms come from Lenovo's official press release (checked 2026-10-18). This page contains no prices, is not a price list or offer, and makes no statement of brand authorization.
Key points

Lenovo announced AI Express on 30 September 2026 with "from 15 days", "from 20 days" and "from 25 days" order-to-ship for its small, medium and large tiers. Lenovo's footnote says these apply to eligible configurations in non-restrictive markets, and that the clock starts only after order validation, payment or credit clearance, End User Certification (EUC) and applicable due diligence and export approvals. For a state-owned or government buyer in China, this means "15 business days" cannot simply be copied into a tender as the delivery date.

What are the three Lenovo AI Express tiers?

The table lists only what the press release says. User counts, tokens per second (TPS) and model sizes come from Lenovo's internal sizing tool and vary by model, workload, software and service level.

Tier Ship time (from) Server Accelerators Use case per Lenovo
Small 15 days ThinkSystem SR650a V4 2 x NVIDIA RTX 6000 PRO Blackwell Server Edition Tens of users, 30+ TPS, 7B to 70B models
Medium 20 days ThinkSystem SR675 V3 8 x NVIDIA RTX 6000 PRO Blackwell Server Edition Hundreds of users, 30+ TPS, 70B to 400B models, agentic AI
Large 25 days ThinkSystem SR680a V4 NVIDIA HGX B300 Thousands of users, up to a trillion parameters

All tiers support the latest AMD and Intel CPUs, optional Red Hat AI Factory with NVIDIA or NVIDIA AI Enterprise software, and Veeam Kasten for data protection. The release also announces Premier Support Plus for Servers.

Why do the four footnote conditions matter for a tender?

Footnote 1 says the figures apply to eligible AI Express configurations and selected parts in non-restrictive markets, and the clock starts after:

  1. Order validation
  2. Payment or credit clearance
  3. End User Certification (EUC)
  4. Applicable due diligence and export approvals

None of these has a published duration, so "15 business days from contract signature" has no basis. Lenovo also says availability, eligibility and ordering processes vary by region, with guidance provided locally. The release does not say whether projects in mainland China qualify, or which configurations would. That has to be confirmed in writing with Lenovo. This page makes no commitment on Lenovo's behalf.

How should the lead time and deviation table be worded?

Chinese public-sector tenders typically ask for a maximum delivery period and a clause-by-clause technical deviation table. Our suggestions for wording, which are advice and not Lenovo terms, are:

  • Delivery period: write "factory ship time of X business days from the date all preconditions are met", and attach the precondition list to the deviation table so it cannot be read as an unconditional promise.
  • Configuration deviation: AI Express is a fixed validated configuration. If the tender requires a different GPU, memory or disk, mark the item as "deviation" rather than "compliant".
  • Evidence: obtain a written confirmation from Lenovo that states the tier, part numbers, eligible region and the day the clock starts, and attach it to the bid.
  • Conversion: 15, 20 and 25 business days are roughly 3, 4 and 5 working weeks before public holidays (our arithmetic).

If the tender sets a maximum bid price, a quote above it generally affects bid validity. A delivery clause that is too tight can instead leave you carrying the penalty risk when a precondition slips. Both limits need to be checked.

What should be checked on the 13% VAT invoice and domestic delivery?

Government and enterprise projects in China usually require goods to be invoiced with a 13% VAT special invoice (subject to current tax law and the tender documents; see the State Taxation Administration). Write the following into the contract or a side letter:

  • Whether the price includes tax, the 13% special invoice, transport and insurance
  • Whether the invoicing entity matches the contracting entity
  • Who handles acceptance, racking and commissioning, counted outside the factory ship time
  • How responsibility for supply and export licensing is divided if the server contains NVIDIA GPUs

TAOHAN (Shanghai TaoHan Industrial Co., Ltd.), checks the preconditions first and then proposes lead-time wording that can go into a tender. Final price and lead time are always confirmed in a written quotation.

Which tier fits which project, and where is the risk?

Item Small SR650a V4 Medium SR675 V3 Large SR680a V4
Accelerators 2 x RTX 6000 PRO 8 x RTX 6000 PRO HGX B300
Model size per Lenovo 7B to 70B 70B to 400B Up to a trillion parameters
Typical domestic use Departmental private inference pilot Internal agent platform Large model service, central compute
Tender risk Fixed configuration may deviate from the specification Same; check machine-room power for eight cards Highest power and cooling demand; room calculation needed first

Lenovo's release gives no power, cooling or rack figures per tier, so use Lenovo's datasheets for selection. For HGX B300 facility conditions, see our NVIDIA B300 vs H200 comparison.

Who is this for, and who is it not for?

Suitable for:

  • Projects with a named end user, delivery site and purpose, where EUC can be supplied
  • Government, enterprise and integrator buyers who can accept a fixed validated configuration
  • Bid teams who want to cite factory ship time as a reference

Not suitable for:

  • Projects where the end user or delivery site is undecided
  • Tenders that require a non-standard GPU, CPU or memory
  • Plans that read "from 15 days" as "racked in 15 days"

How to prepare an inquiry in five steps

  1. Confirm the tier and list full part numbers. The release says "eligible configurations and selected parts", so every quote line must be in scope.
  2. State the end user, delivery site and purpose, and ask Lenovo to confirm in writing whether the region is eligible.
  3. Ask Lenovo to list the clock-start conditions, who is responsible for each, and how business days are counted.
  4. Plan freight, acceptance and commissioning separately with owners and dates.
  5. Mark any price "industry estimate, pending confirmation" and reconfirm before payment.

FAQ

Is the 15 business days in Lenovo AI Express the delivery date?
No. It is the factory ship time after validation, payment, EUC and export approval, and excludes transport, acceptance and installation.
Does AI Express apply to projects in mainland China?
The release only says non-restrictive markets, and that eligibility varies by region. It does not mention mainland China. Ask Lenovo in writing.
Can a bid say "delivery within 15 business days of signing"?
There is no basis for it. The precondition times are not published, so the wording could expose you to uncontrolled penalty risk. Use "from the date preconditions are met".
What differs between the small, medium and large tiers?
Two and eight RTX 6000 PRO Blackwell Server Edition GPUs for small and medium, and HGX B300 for large, on SR650a V4, SR675 V3 and SR680a V4 respectively.
Should the quotation include the 13% VAT invoice?
Domestic projects usually require it. State the tax-inclusive price, the rate and the invoicing entity in the written quotation.
Can TAOHAN guarantee price and lead time in advance?
No. We do not publish prices, and lead time and price follow the written quotation confirmed with the manufacturer.

References

Contact TAOHAN

Send us the tier you are considering, the end user and the delivery site. We will prepare the list of clauses that need Lenovo's written confirmation, then quote only against confirmed part numbers.

Contact TAOHAN · AI Express lead-time clause check

Email: info@021taohan.com

We do not publish prices. All pricing is by written quotation; unconfirmed figures are industry estimates, pending confirmation.