Nvidia C.E.O. Jensen Huang Hitches Ride With Trump to China After Last-Minute Invite
The New York Times • • business
Key Points:
- President Trump personally invited Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang onto Air Force One for his trip to Beijing after Huang was initially omitted from the official list of business leaders traveling with him.
- Huang, leading the world's most valuable company, has been lobbying both U.S. and Chinese officials to allow the sale of Nvidia's AI chips to China, a contentious issue amid national security concerns.
- The White House's initial list included other major CEOs like Apple’s Tim Cook but excluded Huang, sparking attention in Silicon Valley and Washington due to his close ties with Trump and critical role in the AI industry.
- While Trump approved the sale of older Nvidia chips to China last year, actual purchases have been blocked by the Chinese government, and some U.S. lawmakers and officials have pushed to restrict the sale of more advanced AI chips.
- Trump expressed hope that President Xi would "open up" China to facilitate business deals involving American technology leaders during the summit.