U.S. President Donald Trump has said that Nvidia’s most powerful Blackwell AI chips will be reserved exclusively for American companies, effectively banning China and other countries from acquiring them.
The announcement underscores Washington’s determination to maintain its technological edge amid growing competition with Beijing.
In a taped interview aired on CBS’ “60 Minutes” and in comments made aboard Air Force One, Trump said only U.S. firms would have access to Nvidia’s most advanced semiconductors.
“The most advanced, we will not let anybody have them other than the United States,” Trump said, emphasizing that Washington would keep the technology within domestic borders. “We don’t give (the Blackwell) chip to other people,” he added.
The move signals that the Trump administration could impose even tighter export controls on high-end AI chips than previously anticipated.
Restricting AI Technology to Preserve U.S. Dominance
In July, the administration unveiled an artificial intelligence blueprint that sought to relax environmental regulations and expand AI exports to U.S. allies, aiming to maintain dominance over China in the rapidly advancing field.
However, Trump’s latest statement suggests a strategic shift—reserving Nvidia’s cutting-edge Blackwell chips exclusively for domestic use while limiting even friendly nations’ access to the technology.
Just last week, Nvidia announced plans to supply more than 260,000 Blackwell chips to South Korea, including to major corporations like Samsung Electronics. It remains unclear whether Trump’s comments could affect those shipments.
Debate over scaled-down chip sales to China
Speculation has persisted since August over whether Trump might allow the sale of scaled-down versions of Blackwell chips to China.
During his interview, Trump reiterated that Chinese companies would not receive the most advanced versions, though he left the door open to less capable alternatives. “We will let them deal with Nvidia but not in terms of the most advanced,” he said.
The idea of selling even limited versions has faced backlash from China-focused policymakers in Washington, who fear it could enhance Beijing’s military and AI capabilities.
Lawmakers voice concerns over security risks
Republican Congressman John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, criticized the possibility of chip sales to Beijing, calling it “akin to giving Iran weapons-grade uranium.”
Trump had earlier suggested he might discuss the matter with Chinese President Xi Jinping at their recent summit in South Korea, but confirmed the topic was not raised during their meeting.
Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company by market capitalization, has not sought U.S. export licenses for China due to Beijing’s stance toward the firm.
“They’ve made it very clear that they don’t want Nvidia to be there right now,” CEO Jensen Huang said at a recent developers’ event, adding that access to China was still important to fund the company’s U.S.-based research and development efforts.
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