US senators warn Nvidia’s CEO over upcoming China trip
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Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang was warned in a letter to refrain from meeting companies suspected of undermining US chip export controls.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
- US Senators Banks and Warren cautioned Nvidia's CEO Huang against legitimising firms undermining US chip export controls in China.
- Nvidia defended its technology setting "the global standard" and sees China as a key software developer hub.
- Concerns exist over AI chips aiding China's military, with Nvidia planning a cheaper chip version for China despite warnings.
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SAN FRANCISCO - A bipartisan pair of US senators sent a letter to Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang on July 11 about an upcoming trip to China, warning the CEO to refrain from meeting companies that are suspected of undermining US chip export controls.
The letter from Republican Senator Jim Banks and Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren asked Mr Huang to also abstain from meeting representatives of companies that are working with the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) military or intelligence bodies and are named on the US restricted export list.
“We are worried that your trip to the PRC could legitimise companies that cooperate closely with the Chinese military or involve discussing exploitable gaps in US export controls,” the senators wrote.
Mr Huang planned to visit China on July 11.
An Nvidia spokesperson said, “American wins” when its technology sets “the global standard”, and that China has one of the largest bodies of software developers in the world.
AI software “should run best on the US technology stack, encouraging nations worldwide to choose America”, the spokesperson said.
In May, at the Computex trade show in Taipei, Mr Huang praised US President Donald Trump’s decision to scrap some artificial intelligence (AI) chip export controls and described the prior diffusion rules as a failure.
US restrictions in April on AI chips Nvidia modified to comply with export controls to China would reduce Nvidia’s revenue by US$15 billion (S$19 billion), the CEO said.
The hardware necessary to power advanced AI is now subject to a bipartisan consensus related to the free export of such hardware, the senators wrote.
Advanced AI hardware could “accelerate the PRC’s effort to modernise its military”, the letter reads.
US lawmakers have grown increasingly concerned about efforts to circumvent export controls to China and proposed a law that would force AI chip companies to verify the location of their products.
In June, Reuters reported that a senior US official said the AI firm DeepSeek is aiding China’s military and intelligence operations, and sought to use shell companies to circumvent US AI chip export controls to China.
Nvidia is planning to launch a cheaper version of its flagship Blackwell AI chips for China, Reuters reported in May.
The senators said in the letter they had previously expressed concern that Nvidia’s actions could support the AI and chip industries in China and cited Nvidia’s new research facility in Shanghai as an example. REUTERS
