Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, touched down in Taipei on Friday for a quick but high-profile visit to chip partner TSMC, as the company navigates the tricky waters of the U.S.-China tensions over its advanced AI chips. With Nvidia’s earnings report just days away, all eyes are on how the company balances regulatory hurdles, supply chain management, and demand from the Chinese market.
Huang told reporters
“My main purpose for coming here is to visit TSMC,adding that he would only stay a few hours and leave after dinner with TSMC leaders. According to local media, he landed at Taipei’s Songshan airport in a private jet.”
Huang also mentioned that TSMC had asked him to deliver a speech. The foundry confirmed he would give an internal talk on his management philosophy, without further elaboration.
Thanking TSMC and New Chip Developments
The CEO expressed gratitude for TSMC’s collaboration, noting that the two companies have taped out six brand-new chips, including a new GPU and a silicon photonics processor for Nvidia’s next-generation Rubin-architecture supercomputers. For clarity, tape out refers to finalizing a chip design so production can begin.
Huang emphasized,
“This is the first architecture in our history where every single chip is new and revolutionary. We’ve taped out all of the chips.”
Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump opened the door to the possibility of more advanced Nvidia chips being sold in China, reaching a deal with Nvidia and AMD that would give the U.S. government 15% of revenues from certain advanced chip sales.
Nvidia is reportedly working on a new AI chip, tentatively called the B30A, based on its latest Blackwell architecture. When asked about it,
Huang said,
“It’s up to, of course, the U.S. government, and we are in dialogue with them, but it is too soon to know.”
Supply Chain Adjustments Amid Regulatory Concerns
The H20 chip, developed specifically for China after 2023 export restrictions, received U.S. approval in July to resume sales. Nvidia quickly ordered 300,000 H20 chips from TSMC to meet strong demand from Chinese companies. However, Chinese authorities raised concerns about potential security risks, and state media suggested the chips could be risky. Nvidia insists their products have no backdoor risks.
Meanwhile, some suppliers have been asked to pause production of the H20. Foxconn, Amkor Technology, and Samsung Electronics were all reportedly told to temporarily halt H20-related work. Huang clarified, When we receive the orders, we will be able to purchase more, while a company spokesperson added,
“We constantly manage our supply chain to address market conditions. As both governments recognise, the H20 is not a military product or for government infrastructure.”
Huang has reassured stakeholders by saying that shipping H20 chips to China is not a national security concern and that the goodwill of being able to ship the H20 chips to China is appreciated.
Huang’s trip highlights the fragile balance of innovating, global trade, and government regulation while keeping the production and the supply chain going for Nvidia as it works its way through geopolitical hurdles in moving next generation AI chips.
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