Nvidia’s Huang dismisses China AI chip concerns

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang doesn't acknowledge national security concerns about his company selling its most advanced semiconductors to China, claiming the cooperation is in everyone's interest.

 Speaking to reporters in South Korea, Huang said he will continue to campaign for access to the Chinese market and is "optimistic" that the country will continue to want American chips as it establishes itself as a leader in the AI ​​field.

 "The way to think about the Chinese market is that it's a unique, important, dynamic market, and no one can replace it," he said.

 "Serving the Chinese market is in the best interest of the United States. It's in the best interest of China for an American technology company to bring technology to the Chinese market... It's in the best interest of both countries, and I hope policymakers will ultimately reach that conclusion."

 Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang: "China makes a lot of AI chips itself."

His comments come amid US export restrictions that prevent Chinese companies from purchasing advanced semiconductors used in AI development.

 President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he discussed the export of Nvidia chips during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but the discussion did not include the most advanced Blackwell graphics processing units. "I said it's really a matter between [China] and Nvidia, but we're kind of a mediator," Trump said after the meeting.

 The US says its chip restrictions are aimed at limiting China's "access to advanced chipmaking technologies and capabilities" and reducing its access to "related computing and AI applications."

 But Huang indicated these concerns are unfounded.

 "China itself makes a lot of AI chips, and the Chinese military certainly has ample access to Chinese-made chips. So, any national security concerns have to take into account the fact that China blocked the H20 [an Nvidia chip], and so, in many ways, China is saying, 'Listen, we have a lot of AI technology ourselves,'"

 Nvidia's CEO says the Trump-Xi summit looks like a "huge success."

 "And so, from that perspective, I think the national security concern is actually addressed by the fact that China doesn't want the H20 or any American chips."

 "It would be foolish to underestimate Huawei"

Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei is also at the center of technology tensions between the US and China.

 Federal use of Huawei products has been banned in the US due to fears that they could be used for espionage by the Chinese government, while US companies are also prohibited from doing business with the company. These sanctions were implemented during Trump's first term.

 Huang said that Nvidia is "far ahead" in the chip race, but he stressed, "It's foolish to underestimate China's strength and Huawei's incredible, competitive spirit."

 Huang, referring to Huawei's large-scale AI supercomputing systems, said, "This is a company with extraordinary technology. They dominate the world's 5G telecommunications standards and technology. They make amazing smartphones, they make amazing chips, they're amazing at networking, and so when they announced CloudMatrix, I wasn't surprised they were able to create something so amazing."

 He added, "It's extremely naive to think Huawei can't build systems. We take competition very seriously. We respect competition, we deeply respect China's capabilities. That's why we run so fast, and that's why we dedicate ourselves to inventing the future so we can get there before anyone else."