Nvidia CEO: We Have 'Largely Ceded' the Chinese AI Market to Huawei Amid US Export Controls
In a May 20 interview with CNBC, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated that due to ongoing U.S. export controls on advanced AI chips, Nvidia has 'largely ceded' the Chinese AI chip market to Huawei. He noted this has accelerated the development of China's domestic semiconductor industry, where Huawei has shown strong performance. Although Nvidia's latest earnings report revealed a stellar 85% year-over-year surge in quarterly revenue to $81.62 billion, Huang remains cautious about re-entering the Chinese market, stating he has 'zero expectations' for now. However, he also emphasized that if conditions improve, Nvidia would be happy to return to serve the market it has cultivated for 30 years. The remarks highlight how geopolitics are reshaping the global semiconductor landscape.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 21, 2026 at 13:17
- 🔍 Collected: May 21, 2026 at 13:31 (13 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 21, 2026 at 13:40 (8 min after Collected)
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated that as U.S. export controls continue to reshape the global artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor landscape, Nvidia has 'largely' ceded the Chinese AI chip market to Huawei.
Nvidia today once again released an impressive financial report, with quarterly revenue soaring 85% to $81.62 billion from $44.06 billion in the same period last year. The company also announced an additional $80 billion in stock buybacks and a dividend increase.
Despite the strong performance, the Chinese market remains a key focus for all.
In an interview with the American financial media outlet CNBC, Huang said, 'The demand in China is quite large,' adding that 'Huawei is a very, very strong company, had a record-breaking year last year, and is very likely to have an excellent year in the coming year.' He said, 'And because we're out of that market, the domestic chip industry chain in China is now developing quite well.'
He further stated, 'We have largely ceded that market to them.'
Huang's remarks highlight how Washington's strengthened controls on advanced AI chip exports have accelerated China's push for semiconductor independence.
The Chinese market once accounted for at least one-fifth of Nvidia's data center revenue. However, since the U.S. Trump administration informed Nvidia in April of this year that a license would be required to export chips to a few countries, including China, Nvidia has been essentially excluded from the Chinese market.
In the CNBC interview, Huang adopted a cautious stance on the prospects of the Chinese market reopening soon, stating that Nvidia has told investors 'not to have any expectations at this stage' about resuming sales of advanced chips to China.
Huang said, 'I have zero expectations, which is why I base all our financial forecasts, all our numbers, and all our communication with analysts and investors on the premise of 'expect zero, no expectations'.'
Nevertheless, he stated that if the situation improves, Nvidia still hopes to return to the Chinese market.
'We would be very happy to serve that market,' Huang said, while also noting that Nvidia has 'been in China for 30 years' and has many customers and partners there.
Huang was last-minute addition to Trump's entourage for a China summit last week; however, Trump's trip did not clarify whether Nvidia's H200 chips could be sold in China.
Reuters reported last week that some Chinese companies, including Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, and JD.com, had received approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce to purchase H200 chips.
However, the U.S. Trade Representative later stated that chip export controls were not discussed in last week's U.S.-China talks, indicating that a significant easing of restrictions remains challenging in the short term.
But with vast growth opportunities presented by the broader AI economy, Nvidia is also actively expanding its supply chain layout.
Huang said, 'it is not impossible for the company to grow several times in the future,' adding that Nvidia is expanding its investment in what he calls the 'five-layer cake' of the AI industry: energy, chips, infrastructure, models, and applications.
He stated that Nvidia's priority is to use its growing cash on hand to support suppliers in coping with surging demand. 'Every time our business scale grows, it's on the order of hundreds of billions of dollars. Under these circumstances, we must help our supply chain members so they can support our growth.'
Nvidia today once again released an impressive financial report, with quarterly revenue soaring 85% to $81.62 billion from $44.06 billion in the same period last year. The company also announced an additional $80 billion in stock buybacks and a dividend increase.
Despite the strong performance, the Chinese market remains a key focus for all.
In an interview with the American financial media outlet CNBC, Huang said, 'The demand in China is quite large,' adding that 'Huawei is a very, very strong company, had a record-breaking year last year, and is very likely to have an excellent year in the coming year.' He said, 'And because we're out of that market, the domestic chip industry chain in China is now developing quite well.'
He further stated, 'We have largely ceded that market to them.'
Huang's remarks highlight how Washington's strengthened controls on advanced AI chip exports have accelerated China's push for semiconductor independence.
The Chinese market once accounted for at least one-fifth of Nvidia's data center revenue. However, since the U.S. Trump administration informed Nvidia in April of this year that a license would be required to export chips to a few countries, including China, Nvidia has been essentially excluded from the Chinese market.
In the CNBC interview, Huang adopted a cautious stance on the prospects of the Chinese market reopening soon, stating that Nvidia has told investors 'not to have any expectations at this stage' about resuming sales of advanced chips to China.
Huang said, 'I have zero expectations, which is why I base all our financial forecasts, all our numbers, and all our communication with analysts and investors on the premise of 'expect zero, no expectations'.'
Nevertheless, he stated that if the situation improves, Nvidia still hopes to return to the Chinese market.
'We would be very happy to serve that market,' Huang said, while also noting that Nvidia has 'been in China for 30 years' and has many customers and partners there.
Huang was last-minute addition to Trump's entourage for a China summit last week; however, Trump's trip did not clarify whether Nvidia's H200 chips could be sold in China.
Reuters reported last week that some Chinese companies, including Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, and JD.com, had received approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce to purchase H200 chips.
However, the U.S. Trade Representative later stated that chip export controls were not discussed in last week's U.S.-China talks, indicating that a significant easing of restrictions remains challenging in the short term.
But with vast growth opportunities presented by the broader AI economy, Nvidia is also actively expanding its supply chain layout.
Huang said, 'it is not impossible for the company to grow several times in the future,' adding that Nvidia is expanding its investment in what he calls the 'five-layer cake' of the AI industry: energy, chips, infrastructure, models, and applications.
He stated that Nvidia's priority is to use its growing cash on hand to support suppliers in coping with surging demand. 'Every time our business scale grows, it's on the order of hundreds of billions of dollars. Under these circumstances, we must help our supply chain members so they can support our growth.'
FAQ
黃仁勳認為美國出口管制對中國市場有何影響？
根據報導，黃仁勳表示，美國出口管制使輝達「大致上」已將中國AI晶片市場「讓給」華為，此舉同時也加速了中國本土晶片產業鏈的發展。
輝達對於重返中國市場的態度是什麼？
黃仁勳表示，儘管輝達目前對恢復在中國銷售先進晶片「不抱任何期待」，但如果情況有所改善，公司仍希望能重返並服務這個已經「深耕30年」的市場。
除了中國市場的挑戰，輝達近期的業績表現如何？
輝達近期業績表現亮眼，根據其最新財報，單季營收從前一年同期的440.6億美元飆升85%，達到816.2億美元。公司同時宣布新增800億美元庫藏股並調升股息。
中國市場對輝達過去有多重要？
報導指出，中國市場過去曾占輝達資料中心營收至少五分之一（1/5）。
黃仁勳提到的輝達未來成長策略是什麼？
他表示輝達正擴大投資他稱之為AI產業「五層蛋糕」的領域，涵蓋能源、晶片、基礎設施、模型以及應用。公司也將優先運用現金支援供應商，以應對激增的需求。