The White House announced that the Trump administration will not permit Nvidia Corp to sell its highly advanced Blackwell AI chips to China at this time, putting a firm halt to any potential deal involving the in-demand semiconductor.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated during a press briefing, “As for the most advanced chips, the Blackwell chip, that’s not something we’re interested in selling to China at this time.”
Her remarks reinforce recent statements from President Donald Trump, who said on Sunday that the world’s most sophisticated semiconductors should be reserved for American companies, foreclosing the prospect of exporting such technology to China or other foreign entities.
Policy battle
The decision follows months of speculation about whether the administration would allow Nvidia to export a scaled-down version of the Blackwell chip to China.
In August, President Trump had indicated he might consider limited sales, raising questions about the future of US-China collaboration in advanced artificial intelligence technologies. However, Trump clarified this week that no such discussions occurred during his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea last week.
Nvidia, the world’s most valuable chipmaker, relies heavily on US government export controls in determining global sales strategy. The administration’s position underscores continuing tensions over technology transfer and national security between the United States and China, with advanced semiconductors at the centre of the policy battle.