Key Takeaways
- Nvidia Shut Out of China: Jensen Huang says export restrictions leave the company with “zero” China sales for at least two quarters, cutting off access to a $50 billion AI chip market.
- Competing Visions for U.S. Leadership: Huang argues America must reenter the Chinese market to stay globally competitive, while President Trump insists advanced U.S. chips cannot fall into Beijing’s hands.
- National Security Takes Priority: Trump reaffirmed that the most powerful AI chips will remain U.S.-only, underscoring his strategy to protect American technological dominance over China.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is sounding the alarm on U.S.–China trade tensions, warning that America’s competitiveness in artificial intelligence could take a hit if Washington keeps the door slammed shut on the world’s second-largest economy. In an interview on FOX Business Network’s “The Claman Countdown,” Huang didn’t dance around it: the U.S. needs access to the Chinese market if it wants to stay at the top of the global tech race.
“It is clear that we really need America to go back into the Chinese market to be able to compete there,” Huang said. “It’s good for the American people. It’s good for the American tech stack.”
China’s AI chip market is worth about $50 billion today and could balloon to $200 billion by the end of the decade. But because of U.S. export restrictions, Nvidia is locked out entirely. “I’m forecasting China’s sales to be zero. It’s zero for the next quarter, zero for the quarter after that,” Huang said. For a company that reinvests heavily in R&D, that revenue loss stings.
Huang argues that allowing U.S. firms to participate in China’s tech ecosystem would help both sides innovate faster. But the decision ultimately lies with the White House — and President Trump has been crystal clear: America’s most advanced AI chips stay in America.
“The most advanced, we will not let anybody have them other than the United States,” Trump said in a recent “60 Minutes” interview. It’s a national security stance rooted in keeping America ahead, not helping Beijing accelerate its military-tech complex.
Huang may want market access, but Trump’s priority is maintaining U.S. dominance in the technologies that shape global power. And for now, the two visions aren’t aligned — leaving Nvidia preparing for more quarters of zero sales to China.