Jensen Huang, the CEO of semiconductor giant Nvidia, said that he is disappointed by the tight restrictions on selling the company’s advanced chips to China amid the US-China battle over trade and technology.
Huang said that he expects to discuss the latest developments with President Donald Trump at a state banquet hosted by the British government that they will be attending on Wednesday night.
Nvidia’s business to take a hit
California-based Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, is currently restricted from exporting its most advanced chips to China, which are in demand for developing artificial intelligence.
Adding to the company’s challenges, Beijing regulators this week also accused Nvidia of antitrust breaches stemming from a 2020 acquisition of an Israeli tech company.
Furthermore, a report has emerged claiming that China’s internet regulator is banning domestic tech companies from purchasing a specific Nvidia chip model designed for the local market, Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
When asked about the report during a media briefing in London, Huang said he didn’t give a reaction, but added, “I think that we could only be in service of a market if the country wants us to be.”
Huang’s response to curbs
Despite the setbacks, Huang acknowledged the larger geopolitical context by stating, “I’m disappointed with what I see, but they have larger agendas to work out, you know, between China and the United States, and I’m understanding of that, and we’re patient about it.” He noted that China is the world’s second biggest AI computing market and Nvidia has contributed more than most companies.
The CEO conveyed that the company will remain “supportive” of both US and Chinese governments as they “sort through these geopolitical policies”, adding that there is “not very much anxiety”.
Discussion plan with Trump
Huang said he expects to discuss the latest developments with President Trump when they see each other in London, “I’ll see him tonight, and he’ll probably ask me. I’ll probably say something similar.”
Speaking of Nvidia’s business strategy, Huang stated that the company’s job is to “serve those markets the best we can, if we can,” Huang said. “There are a lot of places we can’t go to. And it’s fine.”
The tech CEO’s visit to London coincides with Trump’s trip and includes the announcement of new investments. This includes a deal to supply tens of thousands of Nvidia’s processor chips for data centres that will be part of the UK arm of Stargate, a Trump-backed AI infrastructure project led by Sam Altman-owned OpenAI.
