Trump, suddenly "Won't give NVIDIA's most advanced Blackwell chips outside the U.S."

NVIDIA pledges to supply 260,000 cutting-edge Blackwell chips to South Korea

Need to wait to see whether the sudden remark is true

President Trump claimed that NVIDIA's most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) Blackwell chips would be provided only to U.S. companies and not to China or other countries. However, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang announced on the 31st of last month during a visit to South Korea that he would supply more than 260,000 Blackwell chips to Korean companies such as Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor. He also said he had reported this matter to President Trump in advance.

Trump said this during an interview broadcast on CBS's "60 Minutes" on Sunday (2) U.S. time. In the program, which recorded an interview with reporters on Air Force One as he returned to Washington after spending the weekend in Florida, Trump said that the top-end Blackwell chips provided by NVIDIA should be available only to U.S. customers.

He said, "The most advanced chips will not be given to anyone outside the United States." In the interview, Trump also said, "(I) would allow NVIDIA to do business with China, but would not allow the sale of cutting-edge chips."

Reuters interpreted the remark as suggesting that Trump might impose stricter limits on advanced AI chips than he had previously indicated. It could also be read as meaning access to NVIDIA's top semiconductors would be barred not only to China but to other countries as well.

However, Trump had mentioned in August that he might allow the shipment of lower-spec versions of the Blackwell chips to China. It remains to be seen whether this was another off-the-cuff remark.

Hardliners in the U.S. have criticized the possibility that any version of the Blackwell chips could be sold to Chinese companies. They fear this technology would greatly strengthen China's military power and accelerate AI development.

Republican Rep. John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, said, "This action is akin to providing weapon-grade uranium to Iran."

Trump suggested he might discuss chip issues with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the summit held in South Korea last week. However, he said the subject was not raised during the summit.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said last week that he had not applied for a U.S. export license for the Chinese market.

At a developer event he said, "China has made it clear that it does not want NVIDIA to enter China right away." He added that NVIDIA should also enter China to support U.S.-based research and development.

Kim Jeong-ah, guest reporter kja@hankyung.com