NVIDIA's CEO travels to Beijing amid potential new U.S. restrictions that could block H20 chip exports to China.

      Credit: CCTV

      NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang visited Beijing for the second time this year on Thursday, just three months after his last trip to China. During this visit, Huang reiterated the company's long-term commitment to the Chinese market, highlighting that despite the challenges created by US government export restrictions on chips, NVIDIA will continue to adapt its product offerings to meet regulatory standards and will remain heavily invested in China.

      Why it matters: In the context of the ongoing tariff disputes between the US and China, the Trump administration last week imposed an indefinite ban on the export of NVIDIA’s H20 chips, which were specially designed for the Chinese market. Consequently, NVIDIA anticipates losses of $5.5 billion in inventory and procurement. The company might consider creating new chips that align with US regulatory limitations.

      Details: According to Chinese state-owned media CCTV Finance, Ren Hongbin, President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), discussed matters with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang in Beijing. During their conversation, Ren requested Huang's assessment of the effects of the US government's indefinite export ban on NVIDIA’s H20 chips intended for China. Huang indicated that tighter export controls have significantly impacted NVIDIA's operations but emphasized the company's desire to continue working with China, where its presence has grown alongside the market for three decades. "We’ll keep striving to adjust our products to comply with regulations and remain dedicated to serving the Chinese market," Huang stated.

      When questioned by a CCTV reporter about AI’s influence on productivity, Huang explained that AI is already creating significant advancements in areas such as software development, research, chip design, and supply chain management. Although this is just the start, Huang noted that AI will soon lead to substantial changes in industries like healthcare, finance, climate technology, and manufacturing.

      On the same day, as reported by the Financial Times, Huang also engaged with Liang Wenfeng, the founder of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, to discuss the design of next-generation chips for China that cater to customer needs while adhering to both US and Chinese regulatory requirements. Context: In January, Huang took a week-long journey to China, visiting Shenzhen, Beijing, and Shanghai, where he participated in NVIDIA’s China subsidiary's annual meeting. NVIDIA currently has approximately 4,000 employees in China.

      Jessie Wu is a tech reporter based in Shanghai. She covers consumer electronics, semiconductors, and the gaming industry for TechNode. You can connect with her via email at [email protected].