Key Takeaways
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang positioned his company as crucial for US AI dominance while seeking Chinese market access.
- Huang will meet Donald Trump in Seoul to urge lifting China’s ban on Nvidia chips.
- Trump praised Nvidia’s Blackwell as a “super-duper chip” and may discuss it with Xi Jinping.
- Nvidia announced seven supercomputers for Department of Energy, including one with 100,000 Blackwell chips.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has positioned his company as central to America’s artificial intelligence ambitions while actively seeking to restore his company’s access to Chinese markets. Ahead of the US-China summit, Huang is meeting former President Donald Trump in Seoul to push for lifting China’s ban on Nvidia chips.
Pro-US Pitch with China Access Agenda
During a Washington DC speech, Huang argued that the United States could dominate global AI if the world runs on Nvidia systems, including China’s massive developer base. He praised Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda for spurring US manufacturing and AI investment.
However, Huang’s underlying goal became clear – restoring Nvidia’s market access to China. “We want America to win this AI race. No doubt about that,” Huang stated. “But we also need to be in China to win their developers. A policy that causes America to lose half of the world’s AI developers is not beneficial long term.”
Trump Meeting and “Super-Duper Chip” Praise
The Nvidia CEO will meet Trump in South Korea ahead of the US-China summit. Huang is expected to urge Trump to press Xi Jinping to remove China’s ban on Nvidia chips.
Trump responded positively, praising Nvidia’s flagship Blackwell model as the “super-duper chip” and indicating he might raise the issue with Xi. “I think we may be talking about that with President Xi,” Trump said, expressing optimism about the summit.
Nvidia’s Supercomputer Commitment
In a separate development, Nvidia announced plans to build seven supercomputers for the Department of Energy. These systems will partially help maintain and develop the US nuclear weapons arsenal while also researching alternative energy sources like nuclear fusion.
The largest supercomputer, developed with Oracle, will contain 100,000 Nvidia Blackwell chips. Huang credited Trump’s policies, saying “Putting the weight of the nation behind pro-energy growth completely changed the game.”
