HomeTechnologyNvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang suggests China is ‘nanoseconds behind’ the US in AI chips, calls for reducing export restrictions

Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang suggests China is ‘nanoseconds behind’ the US in AI chips, calls for reducing export restrictions

Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, has issued a serious warning for major chipmakers in the West by stating that China is just “a few nanoseconds” behind the U.S. in AI chips. He also appealed to the U.S. government to ease export restrictions that have constrained the company’s business in China

October 12, 2025 / 18:10 IST
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Jensen Huang
Jensen Huang

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has voiced strong alarm that China’s semiconductor technology is approaching the level of U.S. chips, with China just “nanoseconds behind” the U.S. in chipmaking. Huang highlighted the rapid advances and robust potential of China's chipmaking industry, arguing that allowing American technology companies to compete openly in China will serve the interests of both global superpowers.

China to dominate the AI semiconductor race in future

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On the tech podcast BG2, hosted by tech investors Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley via Tom’s Hardware, Huang spoke about the growth of semiconductor AI chips in the Chinese landscape. He stated that “China’s semiconductor technology, backed by a large talent pool, an intense work culture, and internal regional competition, has advanced to a point where it is only a few nanoseconds, or one-billionth of a second, behind the U.S.”

He also argued that “The U.S. government must allow American companies to compete worldwide, including in China, in order to maximize America’s economic success and geopolitical influence.” His comments come as Nvidia hopes to ship its H20 AI GPU to Chinese customers again, following a months-long pause due to new U.S. export rules.