President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Nvidia’s powerful new Blackwell chip for artificial intelligence will not go to “other people.” This statement follows earlier discussions about allowing a less powerful version of Nvidia’s next-generation chip into China.
Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, leads the market in AI chips. For months, people wondered whether Trump would allow a version of the Blackwell chip to be shipped to China. Back in August, he hinted that he might allow sales of a smaller version of the chip there.
However, Trump’s latest comments to reporters on Air Force One suggest his administration will likely not give broad access to this valuable chip overseas. “The new Blackwell that just came out, it’s 10 years ahead of every other chip,” Trump said while flying to Washington from Florida. He added, “But no, we don’t give that chip to other people.”
The idea of selling Blackwell chips to Chinese companies worried many in Washington. Critics, often called China hawks, feared this technology could greatly boost China’s military power and accelerate its AI development. Republican Congressman John Moolenaar, who leads the House Select Committee on China, stated that such a move “would be like giving Iran weapons-grade uranium.”
Trump had mentioned discussing the chips with Chinese President Xi Jinping before their summit in South Korea last week. However, he later confirmed that the topic did not come up.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said last week that his company has not asked for U.S. export licenses for the Chinese market. This is because of Beijing’s current stance on the company. Huang noted, “They’ve made it very clear that they don’t want Nvidia to be there right now.” He also mentioned that access to China helps fund Nvidia’s research and development in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Nvidia confirmed on Friday that it will supply over 260,000 Blackwell AI chips to South Korea and some of its biggest companies, including Samsung Electronics.
