NVIDIA's China business has been booming recently following the H200 export approval, and now Jensen says there's a prospect of introducing Rubin chips in the region as well.
NVIDIA's Jensen Huang Says That Blackwell & Rubin Would Ultimately Become Necessary For China
It appears that Jensen is more confident in exerting a greater influence in China's AI industry, given that with the approval of selling its H200 chips in the region, NVIDIA's market share has grown from 0% to a significantly higher percentage. In the CES Financial Analyst Q&A, Jensen was asked about the company's future in China and how NVIDIA would keep up with the competitiveness, and interestingly, Jensen claims that his company isn't ruling out the introduction of Blackwell and Rubin chips in the region, saying that they will come "in time".
H200 is competitive in the market. It won't be competitive forever.
To remain competitive in China, Nvidia will need to release other products including Blackwell and Rubin generation chips "in time," Huang said, adding U.S. regulation also needs to evolve if Washington wants American technologies to stay globally competitive.
We do know that after the initial H20 export controls were implemented, NVIDIA's CEO stated that the firm would no longer enter China with Hopper and that Team Green would look to introduce Blackwell in China. However, President Trump eventually ruled out the prospect of Blackwell chips, forcing NVIDIA to stick with the Hopper. The lifting of H200 export control proved to be a delight for Team Green, given that, relative to H200, the newer chip offers almost six times the performance in training workloads, which is why Chinese hyperscalers are highly seeking after it.
NVIDIA's CEO recognizes that the H200 won't remain relevant forever, and given the advancements being made by companies like Huawei and other domestic chip manufacturers, Jensen sees the need to move quickly. The next step would likely be Blackwell for China, but that would require a new round of Jensen-Trump negotiations, and how it plays out.
I have every belief that the Chinese technology market will continue to thrive and continue to advance. And for us to make a contribution and to offer something to Chinese market, we will have to compete, and we will have to continue to advance our technology.
- NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang
It appears that NVIDIA views China as a core part of its chip business, which is why Jensen emphasizes that American technology should be accessible in the region. As for when Rubin could be accessible to China, there isn't a specific timeline, but considering what we saw with Hopper, a fair bet would likely be two to three years after Rubin becomes mainstream globally.
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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