Donald Trump meets with Nvidia CEO to discuss concerns about DeepSeek

The meeting comes as the chipmaker faces questions about the rise of Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek. Huang's visit also reflects a trend of big tech executives seeking access to the US president.

Donald Trump meets with Nvidia CEO to discuss concerns about DeepSeek Picture 1

What countermeasures have been put forward by Mr. Trump and Mr. Huang to counter the rise of DeepSeek?

In the first 100 days of his second term, many factors such as tariffs and new tax policies from Mr. Trump could impact the market. Investors are expecting Mr. Trump to prioritize these issues in 2025, based on the lessons from the early days of his first term.

'We appreciated the opportunity to meet with President Trump and discuss semiconductor and AI policy,' an Nvidia spokesperson said. 'Jensen and the president discussed the importance of strengthening American technology and AI leadership.'

At a press conference later, Mr Trump said the meeting with Huang was "very good" and stressed that "ultimately, we will be putting tariffs on a whole range of imports", although he did not provide further details.

Donald Trump meets with Nvidia CEO to discuss concerns about DeepSeek Picture 2

Nvidia stock took its biggest hit since the release of DeepSeek R1.

Huang's meeting with Trump came shortly after shares of Nvidia, one of the leading AI chip suppliers, fell 17%, or $600 billion, on January 27 as investors worried that DeepSeek's ability to build effective AI models could reduce demand for Nvidia's products. Nvidia's stock has since recovered, but ended the week down nearly 16%.

At the same time, Nvidia has also been criticized by Republican and Democratic members of the US House of Representatives for its relationship with DeepSeek. In a letter and press release, Republican members John Moolenaar and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi called on the Trump administration to 'promptly strengthen export controls on the technology behind DeepSeek's model,' noting that the startup used Nvidia's H800 chip, the first chip designed to be outside the scope of US export controls.

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Nvidia's H800 Chip Is the Power Behind DeepSeek?

While Nvidia described DeepSeek as 'a great advance in AI', President Donald Trump warned that it should be seen as a 'wake-up call' for US industries.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 10 February 2025