"Cannot Rely on Technology That Can Be Restricted at Any Time"
"China Can Build Military Systems Without Nvidia"
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, dismissed concerns that advanced U.S. semiconductor technology could be used by the Chinese military to enhance its military capabilities, saying, "There is no need to worry."
In an interview with CNN on the 13th (local time), Huang said, "The Chinese military cannot rely solely on American technology. They cannot depend on technology that can be restricted at any time," emphasizing his stance.
The United States has been regulating exports of cutting-edge U.S.-made semiconductors to China for national security reasons since the previous Joe Biden administration. In response to U.S. government measures, Nvidia released the H20 chip, a downgraded version of its existing chip for export to China. However, as the Trump administration further tightened regulations, even this product is now blocked from export.
Nevertheless, Huang has consistently criticized U.S. export controls on semiconductors to China. As recently as May, he stated, "Export controls have failed."
Huang, who recently visited China, is scheduled to hold a press conference in Beijing on the 16th. According to the Financial Times (FT), Nvidia plans to launch an AI chip exclusively for China in September. U.S. politicians are closely watching Huang's actions. According to Reuters, following news of Huang's visit to China, Senators Jim Banks (Republican, Indiana) and Elizabeth Warren (Democrat, Massachusetts), among others, sent letters urging him to refrain from meeting with companies on the U.S. export control list or those cooperating with the Chinese military or intelligence agencies.
In the interview, Huang stated, "It is natural for the United States to be the leader of the world. We want the U.S. technology ecosystem to become the global standard," and added, "To achieve this, we must secure AI developers worldwide, and 50% of the world's AI developers are in China," stressing the necessity of exports to China.
Huang also noted, "China already possesses an enormous level of computing power," and assessed, "China can build its own military systems without Nvidia chips or U.S. technology stacks." He has consistently argued that U.S. export controls will only accelerate China's independent technological development and ultimately increase China's competitiveness.
Regarding concerns that efforts to block China's access to advanced U.S. technology could backfire, Huang pointed out, "Recently, China's rare earth export ban prompted the U.S. industry to achieve rapid self-sufficiency in rare earths," and remarked, "The same thing happened to them."
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