Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang spoke about the company’s uncertain future in China, following reports that the country has blocked the purchase of its artificial intelligence chips.
His remarks underline the extent to which global politics, rather than market demand, are shaping the chipmaker’s position in one of its biggest markets.
Huang emphasised that while Nvidia has contributed significantly to China’s tech industry, the outcome is now largely tied to government negotiations between Beijing and Washington rather than the company’s own strategy.
Huang links China chip block to US-China agendas
On Wednesday, China’s Cyberspace Administration had instructed companies, including ByteDance and Alibaba not to buy Nvidia’s RTX Pro 6000D, a chip specifically developed for the Chinese market, reported Financial Times.
In London, Huang said Nvidia could only serve markets where it was welcomed, noting that the decision reflected larger geopolitical agendas between China and the United States.
He added that Nvidia had guided analysts not to include China in financial forecasts because the country’s outlook would depend on policy decisions made by both governments.
Huang characterised the company’s presence in China over the last few years as “a bit of a rollercoaster,” given repeated shifts in trade rules and export restrictions.
Financial and regulatory headwinds in China
The latest move comes after the US previously restricted exports of Nvidia’s AI semiconductors, including the less powerful H20 server chip, citing national security risks.
In August, the White House announced that President Donald Trump and Huang had reached an agreement under which Nvidia would obtain export licences, with 15% of Chinese sales of the H20 allocated to the US government.
China has also increased regulatory scrutiny of Nvidia.
Earlier this week, the State Administration for Market Regulation launched an anti-monopoly investigation into Nvidia’s acquisition of Mellanox, an Israeli firm specialising in networking solutions for data centres and servers.
This adds to the challenges facing the company, which has built a long-standing presence in the Chinese tech sector.
Nvidia shifts focus to UK and global markets
Despite the uncertainty in China, Nvidia is pressing ahead with investments in other regions.
On Tuesday, the company announced £11 billion of funding for AI infrastructure in the UK.
The announcement coincided with Huang’s participation in US President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK, during which several other American technology companies, including Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce, also pledged multibillion-dollar AI investments in the country.
Huang stressed that Nvidia remains supportive of both the US and Chinese governments, while reiterating that the firm has worked with Chinese companies for three decades.
He said the Chinese market remained significant, given its scale and the strength of its technology industry, but acknowledged that its future role in Nvidia’s revenue mix would depend on government decisions rather than commercial partnerships.
Geopolitical pressures overshadow Nvidia’s China role
Huang’s comments highlight how Nvidia’s relationship with China has moved beyond business and into the realm of international policy.
While the company has invested heavily and played a role in China’s technology development, its ability to maintain that position now relies on geopolitical negotiations.
For investors, the message was clear: China cannot be treated as a reliable part of Nvidia’s financial outlook until the US and China resolve broader disputes over AI and semiconductor technology.
The post Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang disappointed at China ban, acknowledges geopolitcal pressures appeared first on Invezz
