Founder and CEO at Nvidia Jensen Huang is interviewed by Chairman of the Milken Institute Michael Milken (not pictured) during the Milken Institute Global Conference 2025 in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., May 5, 2025.
- Nvidia said it won't be sending GPU plans to China following a report that it is working on a research and development center in Shanghai.
- "We are not sending any GPU designs to China to be modified to comply with export controls," a spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC.
- CEO Jensen Huang discussed the potential new center with Shanghai's mayor, Gong Zheng, last month, the Financial Times reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Nvidia said it won't be sending graphics processing unit plans to China following a report that the artificial intelligence chipmaker is working on a research and development center in Shanghai in light of recent U.S. export curbs.
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WATCH HERE"We are not sending any GPU designs to China to be modified to comply with export controls," a spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC.
A source familiar with the matter told CNBC that the company is leasing new space for current employees, but is not sending any IP or GPU designs there. The source said this is a continuation of the company's longstanding presence in China.
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SIGN UP The Financial Times was the first to report the news, citing two sources familiar with the matter. CEO Jensen Huang discussed the potential new center with Shanghai's mayor, Gong Zheng, during a visit last month, the FT reported.
The center will assess ways to meet U.S. restrictions while catering to the local market, although production and design will continue outside China, according to the report.
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AI chipmakers such as Nvidia have been hit with major China roadblocks since 2022 as the U.S. began cracking down on sending advanced chips to China because of concerns of possible military use.
Last week, the Trump administration said it would replace restrictions put in place under President Joe Biden with a "much simpler rule that unleashes American innovation and ensures American AI dominance." Nvidia said last month that it would take a $5.5 billion charge tied to selling its H20 GPUs in China and other countries.
Huang has previously commented on the significance of China, which is one of the company's major markets after the U.S., Singapore and Taiwan. He told CNBC this month that getting shut out of the world's second-largest economy would be a "tremendous loss," estimating that China's AI market could hit $50 billion over the next two to three years.
"We just have to stay agile," Huang told CNBC's Jon Fortt, in an interview alongside ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott. "Whatever the policies are of the government, whatever is in the best interest of our country, we'll support," he added.
Read the full FT report here.
— CNBC's Kristina Partsinevelos contributed to this report
