On Friday, President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, a company renowned for designing advanced computer chips essential for artificial intelligence (AI) development. This meeting is to take place at the White House and was confirmed by a source who wished to remain anonymous, indicating that the discussions would revolve around AI policy and serve to establish rapport between Trump and Huang. Nvidia, which is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, opted not to comment regarding the details of this meeting.
In January, Nvidia voiced significant concerns when the Biden administration unexpectedly broadened its restrictions on AI chips to include over 100 countries, expanding beyond its primary adversaries like China. It remains uncertain whether Trump will uphold or discard these proposed regulations. Just last week, on his first day in office, Trump signed an order committing his administration to “identify and eliminate loopholes in existing export controls,” signaling a possibility of maintaining and intensifying the policy approach of the Biden administration.
Trump is optimistic that AI will catalyze economic growth and attract substantial investments amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars. However, he has also perceived China’s advancements, particularly with DeepSeek AI technology, as evidence that such technology can be developed more economically. Addressing House Republicans in Miami on Monday, Trump remarked that if the reports about DeepSeek’s capabilities are accurate, it presents a “positive” scenario since it indicates that the same results could be achieved at a reduced cost.
Referring to this situation, Trump emphasized the importance for U.S. industries to remain focused and competitive. DeepSeek, showcasing its recent AI models developed with Nvidia’s H800 chips—which have not been restricted—has garnered attention in the AI sphere. This was particularly noted when it launched a new AI model last month, claiming capabilities comparable to that of U.S. companies like OpenAI, while also managing to train its system on vast data without incurring high costs associated with premium chips.
The timing of the meeting between Trump and Huang aligns with ongoing discussions among members of a special House committee dedicated to countering China. These leaders have urged Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Waltz, to evaluate the prospective national security implications of imposing export controls on the Nvidia semiconductor chips utilized by DeepSeek. This review is part of a broader examination that Trump initiated on his first day in office, calling for a reassessment of the U.S. export control system by the secretaries of State and Commerce.
The committee’s chairman, Rep. John Moolenaar, alongside ranking Democrat Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, highlighted that DeepSeek has extensively leveraged a Nvidia chip specifically engineered to bypass U.S. export restrictions. The lawmakers expressed their support for American innovation in AI but advocated for reasonable safety measures aimed at protecting these advancements from potential exploitation by China.
In a letter dated Wednesday, they articulated that frequently updating export controls is crucial to prevent China from taking advantage of regulatory loopholes to advance its ambitions in AI. The representatives also called for Waltz to seek opportunities to reinforce controls on shipments through third-party countries that pose a heightened risk of facilitating such diversions. They pointed out that Singapore represented a significant 22% of Nvidia’s revenue in its most recent quarterly results, despite the company indicating that many of these shipments eventually reach users located outside of Singapore.
The lawmakers insisted that nations like Singapore should face strict licensing requirements unless they are prepared to rigorously prohibit China from using their territories as conduits for shipments. In response, Nvidia clarified in an emailed statement that its reported revenue related to Singapore “does not indicate diversion to China.” A spokesperson outlined that their public filings track ‘bill to’ locations, not ‘ship to’, emphasizing that numerous clients use their Singapore entities for products intended for markets in the U.S. and the West, asserting that the company demands compliance from its partners with all relevant laws and takes appropriate action if notified of any violations.
