Why is Nvidia’s CEO lobbying Republicans on AI chip sales to China?

Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen

- By Matt BRown

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang departs after his meeting with Republican senators.

(GRAEME SLOAN Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Huang met separately with President Trump and Republican senators Wednesday as tech executives work to secure favorable federal policies for the artificial intelligence industry, including the limited sale of Nvidia’s highly valued computer chips to U.S. rivals such as China.Huang’s closed-door meeting with Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee came at a moment of intensifying lobbying, soaring investments and audacious forecasts by major tech companies about Al’s potential transformative effects.

Huang is among the Silicon Valley executives who warn that any restrictions on the technology will halt its advancement, despite mounting concerns among policymakers and the public about Al's potential pitfalls or the ways foreign rivals such as China may use American hardware.

“I've said repeatedly that we support export control, that we should ensure that American companies have the best and the most and first,” Huang told reporters before his meeting on Capitol Hill.

He added that he shared concerns about selling AI chips to China but believed that restrictions haven't slowed Chinese advancement in the AI race.