Trump Bans Nvidia Blackwell Chip Exports to China

President Donald Trump announced that Nvidia's most advanced Blackwell AI chips, including the B100, B200, and B300 series, are reserved exclusively for United States customers. In a '60 Minutes' interview and remarks aboard Air Force One, Trump stated the technology is "10 years ahead of every other chip" and must be kept domestic to prevent China from gaining an equal advantage in the AI race.

This decision follows a summit in Busan, South Korea, between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. While the leaders reached a one-year trade truce involving agricultural purchases and lower tariffs, Trump confirmed that Blackwell chips were not on the table. The ban was supported by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other advisers who argued that exporting such hardware would be akin to providing weapons-grade uranium to Iran.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang lobbied for market access, arguing that U.S. participation in China prevents the rise of domestic competitors like Huawei. Huang later warned that China is poised to win the AI race due to government energy subsidies and a less restrictive regulatory environment. Despite the general ban, the U.S. Department of Commerce approved licenses for Microsoft to ship over 60,000 advanced Nvidia chips, including GB300 Grace Blackwell GPUs, to the United Arab Emirates as part of a $15.2 billion investment.

Nvidia's market share in China has reportedly collapsed from 95% to 0% as Beijing rejects scaled-down American versions in favor of domestic alternatives. While Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested high-end chips might eventually be sold to China once outclassed by newer designs, the current administration maintains a strict prohibition on the Blackwell series.