Nvidia CEO meets President Trump, admits difficulties

Nvidia's H200 chip is still difficult to export to the Chinese market. Photo: Bloomberg .

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said he could not predict whether China would import H200 chips, even if the US government eased export controls, after meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington on December 4.

In a quick exchange with reporters, Mr. Huang confirmed that the two sides had discussed technology export controls, but refused to disclose details.

“We don’t know and we don’t have any new clues. Nvidia can’t downgrade the chips it sells to China because they won’t accept it,” Mr. Huang said.

The meeting with President Trump comes as the US government is considering allowing Nvidia to export its H200 chips to China, a market that is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars to the US tech giant. This would be a major victory for the world's largest chipmaker, which has been lobbying for months to ease export restrictions that will be implemented from 2022.

Mr. Huang has built a fairly close relationship with President Trump after the November 2024 election. The Nvidia CEO argues that excessive restrictions only benefit domestic Chinese companies like Huawei.

Mr. Huang’s trip also comes as the U.S. Congress prepares to remove a provision in the defense bill, part of the Gain AI Act, that would require chipmakers like Nvidia and AMD to prioritize supplying high-performance components to U.S. customers before selling to China and other sanctioned countries.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis said Gain AI was not raised in the meeting, describing the exchange as primarily informational.

Meanwhile, hardliners in Congress warn that any relaxation could undermine efforts to block China’s access to strategic technology. Senator Elizabeth Warren said allowing the sale of the H200 would boost China’s military capabilities and undermine America’s technological leadership. She called on the Commerce Department to maintain the restrictions and increase transparency in the export approval process.

CEO Jensen Huang is still trying to push for a deal with the US government. Photo: Bloomberg .

Nvidia had previously been allowed to export the H20 chip, a nerfed version designed to meet the current limit. However, Chinese authorities have advised domestic companies to avoid buying the product and prioritize domestic chips. Attempts to get permission to export a nerfed version of the next-generation Blackwell chip were also unsuccessful during an October meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China was once a $50 billion market, according to Nvidia. Although it removed data center revenue from the country from its forecast, Mr. Huang said the company still wants to return to the market, arguing that expanding sales would benefit both US and global users.

Source: https://znews.vn/nvidia-gap-kho-post1608322.html