Trump-Xi meeting leaves Nvidia Blackwell chips off the table
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday that discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping did not include Nvidia’s next-generation Blackwell AI chips.
After the meeting in South Korea, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that semiconductors had been discussed, noting that China is “going to be talking to Nvidia and others about taking chips,” but added, “We're not talking about the Blackwell,” Reuters reports.
The remarks follow earlier comments by Trump praising the Blackwell chip as “super-duper” and suggesting he might raise the topic with Xi.
Restrictions and market impact
US export controls limit sales of Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips to China, citing concerns over military applications. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has lobbied the administration to relax restrictions, highlighting Chinese dependence on US hardware as beneficial for American tech.
The company has reportedly developed a Blackwell-based chip for China, less capable than the flagship model but more advanced than the H20, the current highest-performance export-eligible chip. Chinese authorities, however, have discouraged purchases of the H20 and are promoting domestic alternatives, including Huawei.
Huang noted earlier this week that Nvidia had not applied for U.S. export licenses due to China’s stance, saying, “They've made it very clear that they don't want Nvidia to be there right now.”
Trump characterised the US role as intermediary, stating, “I said (to Xi) that's really between you and Nvidia, but we're sort of the arbitrator or the referee,” the Reuters report continues.
