Nvidia CEO to visit China amid Beijing’s antitrust probe, US AI chip curbs

Jensen Huang is set to tour the mainland Chinese cities of Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing, before flying to Taipei later this week

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:24pm, 14 Jan 2025

Nvidia chief Jensen Huang is embarking on a trip to China this week, visiting major cities at a time when Beijing is investigating the company’s domestic presence and Washington is slapping new curbs on the sale of its artificial intelligence (AI) chips abroad.

The Nvidia CEO is expected to arrive in Shenzhen for employees’ annual Lunar New Year celebrations around January 15, days before US president-elect Donald Trump gets sworn in for a second term, according to people familiar with the matter.

The co-founder also planned to visit Shanghai and Beijing, the people said, asking not to be named discussing private matter. And he would fly to Taipei later this week, another person familiar with his travel plans said.

Huang is touring China at a sensitive time for the company, which has been ensnared in the broader US-China tech conflict as the foremost producer of chips for AI development.

This week, the White House unveiled sweeping new limits on the sale of advanced AI chips by Nvidia and its peers. The US firm has criticised the curbs, warning it will dent American competitiveness.

Nvidia is under an antitrust investigation in China. Photo: Reuters

At the same time, Chinese authorities have begun an investigation into potential allegations of antitrust violations, involving a four-year-old acquisition that previously received Beijing’s blessing. The inquiry could hurt Nvidia’s business in the country, already constrained by pre-existing US restrictions on top-end AI training chips.