(Bloomberg) – Nvidia Corp. co-founder Jensen Huang will meet with Chinese officials in Beijing next week, demonstrating the company’s commitment to a vast market that Washington is increasingly segregated.
The CEO is looking for discussion with leaders, including the Commerce Minister, said someone familiar with the situation. Huang said he is planning these meetings while attending the International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing next week, and he is asking for the discussion of still fluid plans, which remain anonymous. The meeting was one of the Chinese government’s signature events and has featured things like Apple Inc.’s Tim Cook in the past.
Huang, who has spoken about the need for US companies to access the world’s largest semiconductor market, is a frequent visitor to China. He returned to the country at a sensitive period for a company caught up in a broader US-China technology dispute as a chip guru for AI development.
It is unknown that Huang is trying to deal with Chinese officials. Nvidia representatives declined to comment on his agenda. A spokesman for the Commerce Department said when asked about Huang’s visit there was no information to share with the agency. Representatives of the meeting organizers declined to comment. The Financial Times reported Thursday that Huang is planning to meet the top officials at the Beijing exposition.
Nvidia’s CEO has argued this year that Washington’s efforts to stall Beijing’s semiconductor ambitions, and that the US should ease technology export curbs to pass local rivals like Huawei Technologies Co. to unfair benefits. The company is currently forbidden to sell everything except graphics processors that focus on low-end Chinese games.
Relaxing the restrictions will benefit Nvidia. This week, History made history as the first company to achieve a market value of $4 trillion. This is evidence of its central role in providing hardware for the post-chat AI infrastructure building boom.
Still, Washington is intended to pursue a campaign that suffocates access to China’s cutting edge technology. The Trump administration has drafted a plan to limit the shipment of AI chips to Malaysia and Thailand. This is part of an effort to crack down on allegations of semiconductor smuggling into China.
Nvidia said before the latest curb in May that it expects sales to lose $8 billion this quarter due to US restrictions in general. According to the Financial Times, new low-end AI chips for China this year will be designed and sold for China this year.
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