Nvidia CEO Urges US-China AI Collaboration Amid Chip Policy Tensions

Jensen Huang says the US and China must work together on AI development and security, despite political divisions.

Apr. 16, 2026 at 8:10am

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A highly detailed, glowing 3D illustration of a complex, futuristic AI neural network architecture in shades of neon cyan and magenta, conveying the power and complexity of AI technology.As the US and China vie for AI supremacy, industry leaders call for open collaboration to ensure the safe and responsible development of transformative technologies.Washington Today

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is using the recent viral success of Anthropic's Mythos AI model to argue that the United States should open a direct channel of communication with China on AI development. Huang says China's vast computing power and talent pool in the AI field make it essential for American and Chinese researchers to collaborate, rather than treating China as an adversary. He warns against the US isolating itself from the global open-source AI ecosystem, and pushes for cooperation on issues like AI safety and security.

Why it matters

The ongoing tensions between the US and China over technology and trade policy have created uncertainty for major tech companies like Nvidia that operate globally. Huang's comments reflect the challenges of navigating this geopolitical landscape, as the US government seeks to limit China's access to advanced chipmaking technology while also recognizing China's central role in the global AI ecosystem.

The details

Huang made his case for US-China AI collaboration during an interview on the Dwarkesh Podcast. He pointed out that the computing power and resources used to train Anthropic's viral Mythos model are widely available in China, which produces around 60% of the world's mainstream computer chips. Huang argued that rather than 'victimizing' China and turning it into an enemy, the US should seek to collaborate with Chinese AI researchers on issues like defining the ethical boundaries for AI use. He warned against the US isolating itself from the global open-source AI ecosystem, saying this would be 'extremely foolish' and 'a horrible outcome' that would undermine American technological leadership.

  • On April 16, 2026, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang gave an interview on the Dwarkesh Podcast.
  • In November 2025, the US launched the Genesis Mission, a national AI effort led by the Department of Energy and 17 national labs.
  • Just last week, US lawmakers proposed a bill that would tighten China's access to advanced chipmaking equipment.

The players

Jensen Huang

The CEO of Nvidia, a major American technology company that designs graphics processing units (GPUs) used in AI and other computing applications.

Donald Trump

The former President of the United States, whose administration's policies on China and technology have created challenges for companies like Nvidia.

Anthropic

An artificial intelligence research company that recently released the viral Mythos AI model, which Huang is using as an example to argue for US-China AI collaboration.

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What they’re saying

“The amount of capacity and the type of compute Mythos was trained on is abundantly available in China. So you just have to first realize that chips exist in China.”

— Jensen Huang, CEO, Nvidia

“Victimizing them, turning them into an enemy, likely isn't the best answer.”

— Jensen Huang, CEO, Nvidia

“We know very well that this ecosystem needs to thrive. It turns out this ecosystem needs open source. This ecosystem needs open models. They need open stacks so that all of these AI researchers and all these great computer scientists can go build AI systems that are as formidable and can keep AI safe.”

— Jensen Huang, CEO, Nvidia

What’s next

The US Congress is expected to vote on the proposed bill to tighten China's access to advanced chipmaking equipment within the next 150 days.

The takeaway

Nvidia's CEO is urging the US government to take a more collaborative approach with China on AI development, recognizing China's central role in the global AI ecosystem. This highlights the delicate balance tech companies must strike between geopolitical tensions and the need for international cooperation to advance transformative technologies.