Nvidia CEO Huang Meets With Republicans in AI Race Heating Up

WASHINGTON: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met with President Donald Trump and Republican senators on Wednesday, as the tech industry ramps up efforts to shape U.S. policies on artificial intelligence (AI). The talks centered on obtaining favorable regulation, such as Nvidia’s being allowed to sell only a limited number of its sophisticated computer chips known as graphics processing units to foreign rivals like China.

Huang’s audience with members of the Senate Banking Committee came amid a flurry of lobbying, stepped-up investment and ambitious predictions about the transforming power of AI. Even as Silicon Valley executives call for less interference, they caution that too many restrictions could stymie innovation — though policymakers and the general public increasingly worry about AI’s dangers and China leveraging American hardware.

“We have said multiple times that we support export control, and we believe in making sure American companies have the best and most [products] first,” Huang told reporters before his meetings on Capitol Hill. He reiterated concerns about limiting the sales of chips to China, saying that limiting those sales had not slowed China’s progress in artificial intelligence. “We have to be able to compete around the world. One thing we simply cannot do is degrade the chips that we sell China. They’re not going to accept that.,” she added.

Huang also said he had previously spoken with President Trump on export controls and offered the president holiday wishes. In May, the Trump administration relaxed restrictions that had been imposed during the Biden years that now allow Nvidia and other U.S. chipmakers to export chips to additional countries, including China, with new conditions that include a 15% reduction from sales in the United States. The deal has inspired debate on Capitol Hill, where many lawmakers view the sale of advanced AI chips to China as a national security issue.

Members of Congress have introduced a bevy of bills this year to police the effect AI has across various industries, but now none has been passed into law. Most Republican senators who attended Huang’s meeting have described it as productive, though some were skeptical.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) described the conversation as “healthy,” adding that it is important to have balanced policies that promote U.S. competitiveness and national security. “They don’t sell chips in China now. And they know that they’re an American company,” Rounds said. “They want to be able to play around the rest of the world. They would love to be able to compete again sometime in China, but they understand that export controls should also protect our own national security.”

However, other Republicans voiced doubts. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., declined to attend the meeting and accused Huang of being an unreliable witness with ulterior motives. “He has more money than the Father, and the Son, and Holy Ghost combined — and all he wants is more,” Kennedy said as he challenged Huang’s impartiality.

Some Democrats, meanwhile, have grown frustrated with what they view as Huang advancing policy proposals behind-closed-doors. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts lambasted Nvidia’s decision, and urged Huang to testify before Congress in a public hearing on whether the firm would sell chips to China that could potentially benefit Chinese manufacturers over U.S.-based companies.

Even as the battle over AI’s future heats up, industry leader­s such as Huang will still be working with ­policymakers to create policies that balance innovation in technology with national security.