WASHINGTON | November 2, 2025 (Reuters)
U.S. President Donald Trump declared that artificial intelligence giant Nvidia’s most advanced chips will be reserved exclusively for U.S. companies, barring China and other countries from access to its cutting-edge technology.
In a taped interview aired Sunday on CBS’ “60 Minutes” and during remarks aboard Air Force One, Trump said only U.S. customers should be allowed to purchase Nvidia’s flagship Blackwell chips — the most powerful AI processors currently available.
“The most advanced, we will not let anybody have them other than the United States,” Trump said. “We don’t give the Blackwell chip to other people.”
The comments signal that the administration may tighten export restrictions on advanced U.S. AI chips beyond what officials previously outlined, potentially blocking even allied countries from acquiring Nvidia’s top-end hardware.
While Trump acknowledged that Chinese companies could still “deal with Nvidia,” he clarified that they would be limited to lower-performance versions of the chips, not the premier Blackwell line.
In July, the administration released a new artificial intelligence blueprint aimed at expanding AI exports to allies while preserving U.S. leadership over China in the sector. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has described China as a potential $50 billion market opportunity by 2025 but has said final export decisions lie with the U.S. government.
The move comes amid ongoing U.S.–China trade negotiations, including a recent one-year truce on tariffs and rare earth exports. However, Blackwell chip sales reportedly did not feature in Trump’s recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Lawmakers from both major parties have raised concerns that even downgraded chip variants could strengthen China’s military AI capabilities. Nvidia, meanwhile, has recently announced shipments of over 260,000 chips to South Korea, including deliveries to Samsung.