Trump Signals Openness to Nvidia Selling a ‘Weakened’ Blackwell AI Chip to China
U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested he may allow Nvidia to sell a reduced-performance version of its cutting-edge Blackwell AI chip to China. Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Trump hinted at a possible deal if Nvidia could limit the chip’s capabilities by around 30% to 50%. He also mentioned an upcoming meeting with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to discuss the matter, calling the Blackwell “the latest and greatest in the world.”
The proposal follows a recent agreement where Nvidia and AMD consented to give the U.S. government a 15% share of revenue from chip sales to China in exchange for export licenses. Trump revealed that he initially requested 20%, but the figure was negotiated down by Huang.
Industry experts believe such a move could strategically keep China reliant on less advanced American chips, potentially slowing its AI progress. While Huawei continues to develop its Ascend processors as alternatives, analysts note that they are not yet on par with Nvidia’s offerings. However, next year’s anticipated launch of Huawei’s upgraded 910 series could intensify competition in the AI chip market.
