In early 2025, information emerged regarding the White House administration’s intention to impose a ban on semiconductor exports to China. This specifically concerns the H20 chip from Nvidia, which is one of the most powerful on the market. According to NPR, the ban project was ready, but its implementation was postponed following a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
This is reported by Бізнес • Медіа
Trump abandoned the idea of imposing a ban on H20 chip exports after meeting with Huang. NPR reports that rumors of a potential ban surfaced back in January 2025, when it became known that such an initiative had originated during Joe Biden’s presidency. In early February, following calls from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley for improved export controls triggered by the presentation of AI models from the Chinese startup DeepSeek, these rumors gained traction.
H20 Chip Exports Under Threat
On April 2, Trump imposed basic tariffs on Chinese products, amounting to 125%. This move led experts to speculate that H20 chip exports could fall under the ban, especially considering that the president had previously expressed support for the development of the AI sector in the U.S.
On April 4, a party organized by Trump’s MAGA party took place at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, which was also attended by Jensen Huang. Following this meeting, the White House will postpone the announcement of a ban on Nvidia chip exports, according to sources from NPR. The administration’s change of course became possible after Nvidia promised to significantly invest in American AI infrastructure.
Market Situation and Nvidia’s Plans
Restrictions on semiconductor exports to China were implemented back in 2022. Despite the fact that the performance of the H20 is artificially suppressed, it remains superior to Chinese counterparts. Steven Witt, author of a book about Jensen Huang, noted that Nvidia’s CEO opposes the export ban, as he believes such a measure would stimulate industry development in China. Huang also does not plan to relocate production to the U.S. and may raise prices or simply pay tariffs, as the company’s margins remain high.
It is worth noting that Trump also introduced the Stargate project, a joint venture between OpenAI, Softbank, and Oracle, aimed at creating computing centers in the U.S. with investments of up to $500 billion. Nvidia is one of its supporters.
“By abandoning the ban, Trump made it clear that he favors the development of cooperation in the technology sector.”