Nvidia CEO: China Nearly on Par with US in AI Technology

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated on Wednesday (April 30) that China is not lagging behind the United States in the race to advance artificial intelligence (AI). Speaking at a tech conference in Washington, DC, Huang mentioned that while China might be slightly behind, the gap is minimal.

“We're very close. Remember, this is a long and never-ending race,” Huang told reporters, as reported by Anadolu Agency on Thursday (May 1).

Huang praised China’s Huawei for its impressive strides in AI development, particularly in computing and network technologies. “They (Huawei) are remarkable in networking and computing—two critical pillars for advancing AI,” he said.

He highlighted that Huawei has made significant progress in recent years. Huang also emphasized the need for the U.S. to implement AI regulations that encourage innovation and progress.

“We must compete in this industry,” he asserted.

Huang expressed confidence that Nvidia could manufacture its AI hardware domestically. He referenced the company’s collaboration with manufacturing partner Foxconn in Houston, Texas, to build AI servers. “With strong will and national resources, I believe we can produce locally,” he added.

Nvidia has become a crucial player in the global tech economy in recent years, producing chips that power a vast array of advanced AI applications, supported by multi-billion dollar investments.

One of the latest major investments was announced on April 14, where Nvidia revealed plans to build AI server infrastructure worth up to US$500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years, in partnership with firms like TSMC.

However, U.S. chipmakers like Nvidia are facing increasing obstacles, including trade restrictions and upcoming regulations from the Biden administration that aim to limit the export of advanced AI processors to foreign nations.

In a more immediate development, the U.S. government under Donald Trump banned the export of Nvidia's H20 chips to China without special licensing as of April 15. Nvidia estimates that this restriction could cost the company as much as US$5.5 billion.