Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include a response from an Nvidia spokesperson.
On Monday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) accused the Donald Trump administration of favoring corporate interests after it approved Nvidia Corp’s (NASDAQ:NVDA) sale of advanced H200 artificial intelligence chips to China following donations and high-level access.
Warren Questions Nvidia-China Decision
Warren criticized the Trump administration’s decision to allow Nvidia to export its H200 AI chips to China, suggesting the move reflects undue corporate influence.
“After NVIDIA’s CEO paid for a special dinner and his company donated to Donald Trump’s gold-plated ballroom, he got his wish to sell advanced AI chips to China,” Warren wrote on X. “Money talks in the Trump Administration.”
In an emailed statement to Benzinga, an Nvidia spokesperson said sales of the H200 chip to China would still require U.S. government licenses and would represent only a small share of the Hopper and Blackwell computing power already sold to U.S. customers.
The spokesperson added that similar concerns were raised previously about the H20 chip, arguing critics had it wrong and that selling the H20 strengthened U.S. economic and national security interests.
“After H20 shipments were blocked, America lost billions, and foreign AI chip firms stepped into the gap and grew dramatically,” they added.
According to Nvidia, both U.S. competitors abroad and critics within the administration are effectively pushing the same outcome by seeking to force large commercial markets to support and accelerate foreign competition.
Trump Greenlights H200 Exports — With Limits
Earlier this month, Trump confirmed that Nvidia would be permitted to ship H200 chips to approved customers in China and other countries, while maintaining restrictions on its most advanced products.
Trump said the decision was made under conditions designed to protect U.S. national security, adding that Chinese President Xi Jinping responded “positively.”
The approval does not extend to Nvidia’s Blackwell chips or its next-generation Rubin platform, which Trump said will remain available only to American customers.
In response to Trump’s decision to allow H200 chip sales, the Nvidia spokesperson said that they “applaud” the move.
Global Concerns Over AI Power Shift
The move has drawn criticism beyond Washington. Former U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned that allowing H200 exports should not be seen as a minor concession.
Writing in The Times, Sunak said the H200 is significantly more powerful than chips China could previously access and stronger than anything Chinese firms are likely to produce in the near future.
He argued the decision materially increases the risk of China catching up — and potentially overtaking — Western nations in the AI race.
Donations, Dinners And Optics
The controversy is fueled by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s recent proximity to Trump.
In October, Huang donated to fund the construction of a White House ballroom project that Trump has said will cost $300 million. Huang also attended a $1 million-per-person dinner at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year, reports said.
Nvidia was not listed among the official donors released by the White House.
The company, which became the first to reach a $5 trillion market value in October, has also invested heavily in U.S. operations after Trump’s return to the office.
Nvidia sits in the 97th percentile for growth among stocks tracked by Benzinga Edge, outperforming rivals such as AMD and Intel and ranking near the top of its competitive peer group.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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