Nvidia CEO’s low-key China visit seen as a goodwill gesture towards key market as US chip firm grapples with sanction issues

Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang’s first trip to mainland China in four years has been a goodwill gesture to the chip designer’s staff and clients in the country, which remains a key market despite tough US restrictions, analysts say.

While Nvidia did not release details of Huang’s itinerary, a person familiar with the situation who asked not to be identified, said the firm invited several key distributors to its Beijing office for a get-together attended by Huang. A second person, who also requested anonymity, said Huang did not have any private meetings with Chinese officials.

“Following four years of disruption from the pandemic, Jensen is resuming his annual tradition of celebrating the Chinese New Year with our local employees,” said an Nvidia spokesperson, without elaborating.

Xinbang, a Chinese online media outlet that covers the semiconductor industry, reported that Huang visited Nvidia’s Beijing office on January 15, Shanghai on January 17 and Shenzhen on January 19, to attend annual meetings with local employees.

There have been no media reports of Huang meeting with Chinese clients or government officials during the trip, in contrast with recent visits by other high-profile US executives, such as Tesla founder Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Video clips of Huang meeting Chinese staff went viral on the mainland’s internet in recent days. In one clip, Huang, 60, was dressed in a red-and-green flowered vest, dancing on stage with other performers.