Nvidia CEO Visits China After US Restricts Export of H20 Chips

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made an unexpected visit to Beijing on Thursday, just days after the Trump administration imposed new restrictions on the company’s exports of AI chips to China.

According to state-linked media, Huang’s trip was arranged at the invitation of a Chinese trade group. His visit highlights the high stakes for Nvidia in maintaining access to China, even as Washington ramps up efforts to limit Beijing’s progress in artificial intelligence.

Huang met with Ren Hongbin, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. During the meeting, state broadcaster CCTV reported that Huang expressed hopes “to continue to cooperate with China.”

The China Daily, the Communist Party’s official English-language outlet, published a photo of Huang in Beijing, noting it came “three months after pledging to continue cooperation with #China during his last visit.”

Trump Targets Nvidia’s H20 Chip

The visit comes in the wake of new US export restrictions that block Nvidia from shipping its H20 chip to China. The H20 was specifically designed to comply with earlier rules limiting high-end chip sales to Chinese companies. Now, even that workaround has been shut down.

Trump administration officials said the restrictions are meant to prevent the chips from being “used in, or diverted to, a supercomputer in China.” The move is part of the White House’s broader strategy to contain China’s technological rise.

Nvidia has warned the new controls could cost the company $5.5 billion in lost revenue. Its stock tumbled 7% on Wednesday following the announcement.

Tech Industry Under Pressure

Nvidia is the latest casualty in an intensifying tech conflict between the US and China. The Trump administration has implemented a series of export bans and sweeping tariffs, putting enormous strain on chipmakers and electronics manufacturers.

President Trump — now in his second term — has also threatened global tariffs on semiconductors in a push to force manufacturing back to the US. The result has been deepening unease across the tech sector.

Despite these pressures, Huang’s visit suggests Nvidia is still exploring ways to preserve its presence in China, even as trade restrictions tighten.