In a recent interview and remarks aboard Air Force One, Donald Trump declared that Nvidia’s most advanced AI processor, the Blackwell chip, will not be given to “other people” — meaning nations like China and possibly other foreign buyers.
The new chip is described as being “10 years ahead of every other chip.” Trump emphasized that while less advanced models might be exported, the top-tier Blackwell will remain exclusively for U.S. use.
This announcement signals a possible escalation in the U.S. export controls on high-performance AI hardware.
Interestingly, just days earlier, Nvidia had confirmed shipments of over 260,000 Blackwell chips to South Korea and major firms like Samsung. This shows that selective exports to trusted allies are still ongoing.
Some U.S. lawmakers reacted sharply. One Congressman compared sending the chip to China to providing “weapons-grade uranium.”
Worldwide, this move could deepen tech tensions between the U.S. and China. It highlights how chips – long seen as the engine of modern AI – have become central to geopolitics, securing not just economic advantage but also national security.
