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Jensen Huang replaces Elon Musk to become the bridge between the US and China. Photo: Bloomberg . |
Amid a contentious debate in the US over the balance between national security and technological competition, Jensen Huang has continued to make visits to China, including his latest meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao this month.
China expects Nvidia to continue providing “high-quality products and services” to the domestic market, but whether that can be done depends on TSMC’s production lines, which are currently being adjusted to meet US regulations.
Jensen Huang replaces Elon Musk
In the summer of 2018, Elon Musk met with former Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, a top confidant of President Xi Jinping. After the meeting, the Tesla CEO tweeted that the two had a “deep discussion about history, philosophy, and luck.”
Since then, the Chinese government has developed a close relationship with Musk, appreciating his commitment to the long term, even as geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Washington have increased. When Musk declared himself President Donald Trump’s “first friend” earlier this year, China expected him to be an influential voice in the White House amid the ongoing tensions between the two countries.
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Nvidia CEO takes advantage of rift between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump. Photo: Bloomberg . |
But that trust is being tested as the relationship between Trump and Musk shows signs of fraying, forcing Beijing to look for a new figure who can act as a bridge between China and the US, this time in the form of Nvidia CEO.
Jensen Huang, CEO of the world’s largest chip design company, recently met with Mr. Trump and policymakers in Washington, during which Huang secured approval for Nvidia to continue exporting its H20 chips to China.
The H20 chip was previously placed on the Trump administration’s export restrictions list in April. However, thanks to intervention from the business community and a direct meeting between Mr. Huang and President Trump, Nvidia was allowed to partially resume its business operations in China.
Bridge between two countries
CEO Jensen Huang rarely takes a stand on US tech restrictions. In public, he has argued that Washington is wrong to underestimate China’s ability to develop AI chips. He has stressed that providing US chips to open-source AI models in China such as DeepSeek or Alibaba’s Qwen is necessary to maintain influence and prevent the market from falling completely into the hands of domestic rivals such as Huawei.
During an appearance at the All-In Podcast on July 23, Huang again praised the US president’s policies on AI and energy development. The Nvidia founder called Trump “a unique advantage that no other country has.”
Policymakers in Beijing are eyeing Huang as a potential replacement for Musk, according to Lizzi Lee, an expert at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s China Analysis Center. The Nvidia CEO combines personal influence, technological prowess, and strategic vision.
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Jensen Huang was cautious when coming to China. Photo: Bloomberg . |
“Some Chinese analysts see Jensen Huang as a bridge to the US, thanks to both his influence and his softer stance compared to hardline officials in Washington,” Lee said.
Unlike Tesla, which is heavily reliant on the Chinese market, Nvidia is more evenly balanced across regions. China accounted for only about 13% of Nvidia’s revenue in its most recent fiscal year. Before the export controls were enacted, the company’s market share in the East Asian country hovered around 25%.
Nvidia’s rise in China, however, has also come with increased scrutiny from the U.S. Late last year, then-U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo criticized Nvidia for “out of control” chip designs.
Source: https://znews.vn/ceo-nvidia-vuot-mat-elon-musk-post1571203.html
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