Chip policy push: Nvidia in talks with Trump administration on new B30A design for China; security concerns remain, Beijing flags ‘backdoor’ risk

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang said the company is holding talks with the Trump administration over a potential new semiconductor for China, even as Washington maintains tight curbs on advanced chip sales citing national security.



During a visit to Taiwan to meet Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC), Nvidia’s key manufacturing partner, Huang was asked about reports of a new “B30A” graphics processing unit (GPU) aimed at Chinese artificial intelligence data centres, AP reported. TSMC is the world’s largest chip maker.




“I'm offering a new product to China for ... AI data centres, the follow-on to H20,” Huang said. “But that’s not our decision to make. It’s up to, of course, the United States government. And we're in dialogue with them, but it's too soon to know.”

The B30A would be based on Nvidia’s Blackwell technology and is said to run at about half the speed of the company’s flagship B300 chips. Top-end Nvidia processors remain barred from China under US restrictions that seek to limit Beijing’s access to advanced computing power for military and AI applications.

Huang praised the Trump administration for recently clearing the sale of Nvidia’s H20 chips to China, which had been halted in April. Approval was granted with a condition that Nvidia pay a 15% tax to the US government on such sales. Rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) was asked to pay the same levy on exports of its MI380 chips to China.

The approval was part of wider trade talks in which Washington and Beijing agreed to scale back some non-tariff measures. China granted additional permits for exports of rare earth magnets to the US, while Washington removed restrictions on chip design software and jet engines. Following Huang’s lobbying efforts, Nvidia was also allowed to resume H20 sales to Chinese customers.

Asked about the tax condition, Huang declined to comment directly but said Nvidia valued the chance to sell H20 chips to China. He also rejected suggestions that such sales carried security risks for the US.

“We have made very clear and put to rest that H20 has no security backdoors. There are no such things. There never has. And so hopefully the response that we've given to the Chinese government will be sufficient,” Huang said. He added that Nvidia was also in talks with Beijing to assure regulators about the product’s integrity.

China’s Cyberspace Administration had recently posted a notice online raising what it called “serious security issues” in Nvidia’s chips. Citing US AI experts, it alleged the processors included “mature tracking and location and remote shutdown technologies.” Nvidia was asked to clarify these claims and provide documentation.

Huang said the company was surprised by the accusations. “As you know, they requested and urged us to secure licenses for the H20s for some time. And I’ve worked quite hard to help them secure the licenses. And so hopefully this will be resolved,” he said.

Reports in Chinese media have suggested authorities were also angered by comments from US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who argued that Washington’s policy was to limit China’s access to cutting-edge chips.

“We don't sell them our best stuff,” Lutnick told CNBC. “Not our second-best stuff. Not even our third best, but I think fourth best is where we've come out that we're cool.”

China’s ruling Communist Party has prioritised self-reliance in advanced technology but continues to rely heavily on foreign semiconductor know-how.

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