NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang Draws a Hard Line on China: No Blackwell, No Rubin, But US Firms Must Still Fight In Global Markets

NVIDIA CEO has said that China should not have access to its most advanced AI chips, such as Blackwell or Rubin.

Blackwell or Rubin AI Chips are a no-go for China, but NVIDIA's CEO Wants US Firms To Continue To Compete In Global Markets

The US AI policy shift towards China has been ongoing since NVIDIA's Hopper generation of chips. Export controls restricted NVIDIA from selling its bleeding-edge chips to Chinese firms & this ban has extended into the Blackwell generation.

Reaffirming the US-first policy, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has stated that the company's most advanced AI chips, Blackwell and Rubin, won't be given to China. Jensen says that America should always have a head start in the AI chips industry because NVIDIA is an American company & its latest AI technologies, whether hardware or software, are made for the US first.

Becky Quick (Anchor "Squawk Box"): I understand your point that we need to be engaging with other nations. And I believe you're probably referring to China, specifically, that we need to be able to engage with them. And I know your position has been that we should be giving them the H200 chips. Not necessarily the latest and greatest, but we should be giving them chips so that they are reliant on US companies for some of these things. That makes sense. 

Jensen Huang (NVIDIA CEO): We should compete globally. America should always have Head Start.

Becky Quick (Anchor "Squawk Box"): Should they have the latest and greatest chips? 

Jensen Huang (NVIDIA CEO): No. We have the right, the United States, we're an American company, the United States has the right to make sure that, and we're delighted by that, and we're huge supporters of it, that the United States has the first, the most, and the best.

But simultaneously, all American companies should compete globally. Because remember, in the final analysis, we're trying to maximize exports. We're trying to maximize American exports. We're trying to increase our revenues. And by increasing our revenues, tax revenues, we improve our national security. And economic security contributes to national security. Tax dollars helps us with defense. All of that increases national security. American technology has to win across the world at every single layer.

During the "Leading in the Age of AI" talks at the Miliken Institute's Global conference, Jesnen also pointed out that while the latest chips are built for the US soil first, US firms should compete globally.

While the United States gets "the first, the most, and the best" of advancements from American firms, the companies should also be open to competing globally, as that helps increase revenues, which in turn helps improve the United States' National Security.

This statement comes just a few weeks after NVIDIA's CEO announced that they have zero share in China. We recently reported how NVIDIA's "official" share in China has dropped to nothing as China itself is focusing on in-house solutions, and companies such as Huawei are now gaining big time for their growing AI demand.

Jensen also confirmed that they have not shipped a single unit of their Hopper H200 GPUs to China. That is despite NVIDIA being given the go-ahead to sell H200 chips to China after paying a 25% of the sales to the US Government.

The President of the US, Donald J. Trump, has already stated that NVIDIA's "SUPER DUPER" Blackwell GPUs are the most advanced AI chips designed by NVIDIA, and there might be a chance that a cut-down variant of the chip, with severely reduced capabilities, can be offered to China, though those plans haven't seen any progress.

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