Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is set to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, just days before Huang embarks on a critical visit to China.
This private meeting comes when the US-China tech rivalry is heating up, placing Nvidia at the center of global semiconductor politics.
The topics for the Trump-Huang meeting are not known. The sources were not authorized to discuss the meeting and spoke on the condition of anonymity, and neither Nvidia nor the White House made any official comment.
This sit-down comes on the heels of Nvidia reaching a record-setting high, becoming the first company to reach a $4 trillion market value, driven by investor enthusiasm for the red-hot AI space.
Trump lauded Nvidia’s market performance in a social media message earlier in the day, attributing the success to his trade policies.
“NVIDIA IS UP 47% SINCE TRUMP TARIFFS. The USA is taking in Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in Tariffs,” Trump wrote.
Nvidia steps up push for China market
Huang’s soon-to-come visit to China will be especially delicate for Nvidia, which has been embroiled in Washington’s pursuit of an increasingly intense technology war with China. But once dominant in the Chinese market, Nvidia now faces strict restrictions on selling its most advanced artificial intelligence chips under a series of US export controls by the Biden administration, backed by Congress.
The US government has been trying to prevent China from accessing high-end chips and chip-making equipment, out of concern that they could be put to military or surveillance uses. That has led companies like Nvidia to create altered versions of their chips for sale in China, often with reduced performance.
But behind the scenes, they said, Huang is worried that these restrictions effectively give Chinese companies such as Huawei Technologies an advantage. He has criticized the export bans in previous interviews and industry discussions, saying that the measures are short-sighted and that they could speed up China’s attempts to develop its alternatives.
Nvidia estimates it will lose as much as $8 billion in potential revenue this quarter because of the export rules. The company has already scaled back its presence in China, and Huang’s return marks an attempt to patch up commercial and regulatory relationships.
While in Beijing, Huang will meet with some senior Chinese officials, such as the commerce minister. He will also go to the International Supply Chain Expo, where he is scheduled to deliver a speech on global semiconductor collaboration and the role of AI in overhauling logistics, health, and transportation.
Nvidia expands global clout amid AI boom
Nvidia’s reach has now extended far beyond gaming and graphic design. The company has been a stalwart in the global AI race, offering key hardware for data centers and AI research. Its chips are commonly deployed to construct generative AI models, such as the large language models underpinning chatbots, virtual assistants, and predictive analytics.
Big tech companies, such as Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and Alphabet, invest huge chunks of capital into AI infrastructure. To put that in perspective, they are expected to invest over $350 billion in AI-related R&D next fiscal year. A lot of that investment will funnel directly into Nvidia’s ecosystem.
Nvidia’s rise has turned Huang into a prominent player in the global game of tech diplomacy. How he maneuvers the U.S. regulatory landscape while simultaneously working with the hard facts of the Chinese market will shape the company’s long-term strategy and the greater development path for this powerful new AI technology.
Born in Taiwan and raised in the United States, Huang has frequently played the role of a bridge between East and West. But in a world of increasing geopolitical pressure, even his talents are being pushed to the limit.
Whether his talk of cooperation and open markets will find traction on either side is unknown.
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