Trump Tightens Tech Trade: Blackwell Chips Reserved for U.S. Firms
U.S. President Donald Trump has declared that the country’s top-tier artificial intelligence (AI) chip, Nvidia’s Blackwell Superchip, will be reserved exclusively for American companies. No other nations, including China, will have access to this advanced technology.
In an interview aired on CBS’s “60 Minutes” on Sunday, Trump stated, “The most advanced Blackwell chips will not be handed to anyone outside the United States. We will not give these chips to others.” He further hinted that the U.S. is poised to impose even stricter controls on AI chip exports than before.
Last July, the Trump administration unveiled a new AI policy that aimed to ease technology exports to allied countries. However, the President’s latest remarks signal a possible shift from that earlier stance.
Recently, Nvidia announced plans to supply over 260,000 Blackwell AI chips to various companies, including South Korea’s Samsung Electronics. Nevertheless, Trump clarified that Chinese firms would not have access to the top-tier version of the chip, though he left open the possibility of selling less powerful variants.
Hardliners in Washington with strong positions on China have expressed concern over this possibility, warning that the Blackwell technology could dangerously enhance China’s military and AI capabilities.
DBTech/BMT/OR
