Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Beijing on Thursday, days after the U.S. imposed tighter restrictions on chip exports to China, including a ban on Nvidia’s H20 chip.
The new curbs are expected to cost the company $5.5 billion in earnings, but Huang’s visit signals Nvidia’s determination to stay in the Chinese market.
“China was a very important market for Nvidia,” Huang said, according to state broadcaster CCTV. He added that he hoped the company could “continue co-operating” with the country.
Talks with Clients and Chinese Officials
Huang met with clients, including Liang Wenfeng, founder of generative AI start-up DeepSeek, to explore new chip designs tailored for China’s needs and both governments’ regulations. He also held separate talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, sources familiar with the matter said.
The trip was reportedly approved by China’s State Council earlier in the week, marking a rare instance of Huang engaging publicly with high-ranking officials in Beijing.
DeepSeek Raises Concerns in Washington
DeepSeek is a key Nvidia customer and recently drew attention in the U.S. for launching a competitive AI model that rivals American systems but appears significantly cheaper to train. U.S. lawmakers are now pressing Nvidia on whether DeepSeek accessed export-restricted chips.
Chip War Escalates
Nvidia’s efforts come as China and the U.S. escalate their tech trade war. The White House recently added a 145% tariff on Chinese imports, which Beijing matched. China is pushing its domestic semiconductor firms and encouraging companies to adopt Huawei’s Ascend AI chip, though challenges remain.
Despite regulatory scrutiny in both Washington and Beijing, Huang’s comments and meetings suggest Nvidia is preparing to design yet another China-compliant chip — even after earlier attempts like the H20 were blocked.
