Trump looms large over Nvidia conference
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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks during the Nvidia GTC on Oct. 28. Photo: Jim Watson / AFP
President Trump may be overseas, but his presence loomed large over an Nvidia conference in D.C. on Tuesday where CEO Jensen Huang lauded the administration's embrace of AI.
Why it matters: Huang has built a strong relationship with Trump, and Nvidia has been rewarded for it — from winning approval to export chips to China to preventing the National Guard deployment to San Francisco.
The big picture: Huang spelled out what he described as a "pro-America" vision for global AI leadership and energy expansion that aligned closely with Trump's agenda.
- "It's a completely new adventure for me, but I come with only one purpose — only just to inform and to be in service of the president as he thinks about how to make America great and do the best thing for America," he told reporters during a media Q&A.
State of play: His comments came as Nvidia has been locked out of selling its most advanced chips to China amid heightened tensions over global trade and security.
- Huang said U.S. policies, such as an AI exports program, should prioritize capturing 80% of global AI market share, boosting energy production and attracting the best developers in the world to domestic soil.
- "It is absolutely the case that we can lose this race," he said. "But we are well ahead today."
Behind the scenes: Huang said all of his conversations with Trump center on the president's vision of making America "rich" and boosting the domestic manufacturing sector.
- "100% of his phone calls to me are 10:30 at night his time, not my time," Huang said.
Trump's readiness to meet the energy demands of AI was a major focal point for Huang.
- Energy Secretary Chris Wright made an appearance alongside Huang during the media Q&A, earning praise from the Nvidia CEO for the administration's "pro-energy" policies.
- Earlier in the day Huang announced Nvidia will team up with the Department of Energy to build seven AI supercomputers.
- "In this partnership we're going to get computing power next week, that already exists, but immediately steered over to speed up the advancement of science now," Wright said.
Asked whether a deal to give the government a share of revenue from chip sales to China would be constitutional, Huang noted that a regulation "has to be created to enable us to be able to pay, and the administration is working on that. Until then, we don't really have to confront it."
Huang emphasized the importance of immigration, one area where the administration is straining the ability of high-skilled workers.
- "50% of the world's AI researchers are Chinese, and if you look at the AI labs here in America and the number of Chinese people that are there, it's quite significant," Huang said.
- "It is extremely important that the United States continues to be the country by which immigrants like myself want to come here to do our education, to stay and build our career and build our life," Huang added.
What's next: Trump, addressing business leaders in Tokyo, said he would meet with Huang on Wednesday.
- Nvidia said that Huang plans to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in South Korea to meet with global leaders and executives.
- "We're going to go support the president in his tour through Asia," Huang said on Tuesday.
- Wright said he expects an agreement to come out of Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of APEC: "China is an economic, scientific powerhouse, so we have some differences across the nations, but we have a lot of common ground."
