Trump Says Nvidia’s Top-End Blackwell Chips “Not for Other Countries”

US President Donald Trump declared that the most advanced artificial-intelligence chips from Nvidia — notably the “Blackwell” series — will be reserved exclusively for US use and not made available to China or other foreign buyers, according to remarks aired on CBS’s 60 Minutes and comments reported while aboard Air Force One.

“The most advanced, we will not let anybody have them other than the United States,” Trump told CBS. He later reaffirmed the stance, saying, “We don’t give (the Blackwell) chip to other people.”

 The president’s comments signal a potential tightening of export-control policy regarding high-performance AI semiconductors at a time when global technology competition with China is accelerating.

Nvidia previously announced it would supply more than 260,000 Blackwell chips to South Korea, including for clients such as Samsung Electronics, illustrating that export approvals to allies remain viable under U.S. policy.

 While Trump did not completely rule out the possibility of China acquiring a “less capable” version of the Blackwell chip, he emphasised that the top version would remain off-limits: “We will let them deal with Nvidia but not in terms of the most advanced,” he said in the interview.


The US has long restricted export of Nvidia’s AI processors to China, citing national-security concerns that such technology could boost the Chinese military’s capabilities. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, speaking at an event in South Korea, said his company had not sought US export licenses for the Chinese market, citing reluctance from Beijing.

 The president’s stance appears to reinforce that export barriers will remain in force — at least for the high-end devices.

Some US lawmakers praised the tougher line. John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, described the transfer of such high-end chips to China as “akin to giving Iran weapons-grade uranium,” reflecting hardened concerns in Washington.


Analysts view the announcement as a clear signal of Washington’s intention to maintain a technological edge in AI infrastructure. “This is a hugely significant deal and a strong endorsement of Nvidia’s compute capabilities,” said one market-watcher, highlighting how critical chip access has become in the AI arms race.

Yet the full contours of US policy remain uncertain. While the Blackwell chips are reportedly barred from export, lighter versions or heavily restricted variants may be allowed under future negotiations, as previously suggested by Trump in August when he floated a possible “somewhat enhanced – in a negative way – Blackwell” for China.

For its part, Nvidia remains caught between advancing its global business and navigating US export constraints. The company’s monumental rise — it recently became the world’s most-valuable public company — underscores how critical its AI-chips business has become in the global tech landscape.
The Washington Post

In sum, President Trump’s remarks underscore a broader U.S. strategy: secure dominance of next-generation computing architectures by restricting access to national competitors. For the AI industry and global supply chains alike, the message is unmistakable — the most powerful chips may remain firmly American.