Trump open to Nvidia selling scaled-back Blackwell chip to China
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump signalled on Aug 11 that he'd be open to allowing Nvidia Corp to sell a scaled-back version of its most advanced AI chip to China.
Mr Trump said he would consider a deal that would allow Nvidia to ship its Blackwell chips to China if the company could design it to be less advanced. 'It's possible I'd make a deal' on a 'somewhat enhanced – in a negative way – Blackwell' processor, he said in a briefing with reporters. 'In other words, take 30 per cent to 50 per cent off of it.'
Mr Trump made his remarks on Nvidia's Blackwell chip while confirming that he'd
hammered out a separate, unusual deal with Nvidia that will allow the company to sell its less-advanced H20 AI chip to China if it pays 15 per cent of revenue tied to those shipments to the US government.
AMD Micro Devices will deliver the same share from MI308 revenues, a person familiar with the situation has said, asking not to be identified discussing internal deliberations.
The revenue-sharing agreement for the H20 chip – and the prospect of yet another one for Nvidia's Blackwell product – reflects Mr Trump's consistent effort to engineer a financial payout for America in return for concessions on trade.
Such unprecedented arrangements, however, stand to set a precedent for all American companies doing business in the Asian nation and threaten the US government's national security rationale for export controls, experts said.
Mr Trump didn't say exactly when he might negotiate a deal with Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang on the Blackwell chip but alluded to a possible meeting soon on the prospect: 'I think he's coming to see me again about that, but that will be a unenhanced version of the big one.'
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
World Trump seizes control of Washington police, deploys National Guard
Business Lower-wage retail workers to receive up to 6% pay bump from Sept 1
Singapore Keppel to sell M1's telco business to Simba for $1.43b, says deal expected to benefit consumers
Singapore ST Explains: Who owns Simba, the company that is buying M1?
Singapore Telco price undercutting expected to subside after sale of M1 to Simba: Analysts
Singapore ST Explains: What is Vers and which HDB estates could it be rolled out in?
Singapore For Vers to work, compensation should account for varied needs of HDB flat owners: Observers
Singapore At least $2m lost in S'pore to govt official impersonation scams involving cryptocurrency in Q1
Nvidia's Blackwell design is at the heart of the most powerful computers that create and run AI software. Those chips are currently too powerful to be sold into China, according to US restrictions.
Nvidia and smaller rival AMD have seen their revenues in China slashed by increasingly tight US government restrictions on AI chip exports. While the Trump administration has begun granting permits for some chips to China, those products are older and only equivalent to domestic Chinese offerings, casting doubt on their attractiveness in that market.
A newer, better offering might help promote Nvidia's standing with Chinese customers if it can get sign-off from the administration.
When the US tightened restrictions in April, Nvidia said it would work on another chip for the China market and would seek permission to export that one. It cautioned that the older Hopper design, the basis of the H20 chip being sent to China only, could no longer be reduced in capabilities. BLOOMBERG
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
27 minutes ago
- Straits Times
How much territory does Russia control in Ukraine?
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A still image, taken from footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry, shows what it said to be Russian soldiers waving a flag following the capture of Ukraine's Yablunivka (Yablonovka) settlement in the Donetsk region in the course of Russia-Ukraine military conflict, in this image from video released August 12, 2025. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS LONDON - U.S. President Donald Trump has said that both Kyiv and Moscow will have to cede territory to end the war in Ukraine, so how much territory does Russia control in Ukraine? Russia controls nearly 114,500 square km (44,600 square miles), or 19%, of Ukraine, including Crimea, and a major chunk of territory in the east and south-east of the country, according to open source maps of the battlefield. Ukraine does not control any internationally recognised Russian territory. Russia says Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson - which were recognised by Moscow as part of Ukraine as the Soviet Union collapsed - are now parts of Russia. Ukraine has repeatedly said it will never recognise Russian occupation of its land, and most countries recognise Ukraine's territory within its 1991 borders. Following are details on the territory, Russian claims and Ukraine's position. CRIMEA Russian forces in 2014 took control of Crimea, which juts out into the Black Sea off southern Ukraine, and after a disputed referendum on joining Russia, Moscow absorbed the region into Russia. Its area is about 27,000 square km. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Luxury items seized in $3b money laundering case handed over to Deloitte for liquidation Singapore MyRepublic customers air concerns over broadband speed after sale to StarHub Singapore Power switchboard failure led to disruption in NEL, Sengkang-Punggol LRT services: SBS Transit Singapore NEL and Sengkang-Punggol LRT resume service after hours-long power fault Business Ninja Van cuts 12% of Singapore workforce after 2 rounds of layoffs in 2024 Singapore Hyflux investigator 'took advantage' of Olivia Lum's inability to recall events: Davinder Singh Singapore Man who stabbed son-in-law to death in Boon Tat Street in 2017 dies of heart attack, says daughter Singapore Man who stalked woman blasted by judge on appeal for asking scandalous questions in court Russia says Crimea is legally part of Russia. Ukraine's position is that Crimea is part of Ukraine, though privately some Ukrainian officials admit that it would be very hard to return Crimea to Ukrainian control by force. Crimea was absorbed into the Russian empire by Catherine the Great in the 18th century. Russia's Black Sea naval base at Sevastopol was founded soon afterwards. In 1921, Crimea became part of Russia within the Soviet Union until 1954, when it was handed to Ukraine, also then a Soviet republic, by Communist Party chief Nikita Khrushchev, an ethnic Ukrainian. DONBAS Russia controls about 46,570 square km, or 88%, of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, including all of the Luhansk region and 75% of the Donetsk region. About 6,600 square km is still controlled by Ukraine but Russia has been focusing most of its energy along the front in Donetsk, pushing towards the last remaining major cities. Russian-backed separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions broke away from Ukrainian government control in 2014 and proclaimed themselves independent "people's republics". Putin in 2022 recognised them as independent states just days before the invasion of Ukraine. ZAPORIZHZHIA AND KHERSON Russian forces control about 74% of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of southeastern Ukraine, or about 41,176 square km. Ukraine controls about 14,500 square km across the two regions. Putin in 2024 said that he would be willing to agree peace if Ukraine withdrew from all regions claimed but not fully controlled by Russia - an area currently of about 21,000 square km - and officially renounced its ambitions to join NATO. Reuters reported in 2024 that Putin was open to discussing a Ukraine ceasefire deal with Trump but ruled out making any major territorial concessions and insisted that Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO. Two sources said Putin might be willing to withdraw from the relatively small patches of territory it holds in other areas of Ukraine. Putin's conditions for peace include a legally binding pledge that NATO will not expand eastwards, Ukrainian neutrality and limits on its armed forces, protection for Russian speakers who live there, and acceptance of Russia's territorial gains, sources told Reuters earlier this year. KHARKIV, SUMY AND DNIPROPETROVSK Russia also controls small parts of the Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions of Ukraine. Across the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, Russia controls about 400 square km of territory. In Dnipropetrovsk, Russia has a tiny area near the border. Russia has said it is carving out a buffer zone in Sumy to protect its Kursk region from Ukrainian attack. LEGAL STATUS OF THE TERRITORIES Russia classes the Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol, the Luhansk People's Republic, the Donetsk People's Republic, and the regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as subjects of the Russian Federation. Ukraine says the territories are part of Ukraine. Most countries do not recognise the areas as part of Russia but some do. Crimea has been recognised by Syria, North Korea and Nicaragua. The United Nations General Assembly declared in 2014 the annexation illegal and recognised Crimea as part of Ukraine. The resolution was opposed by 11 countries. Putin has repeatedly compared the fate of Kosovo and Crimea. He has accused the West of having double standards for recognising Kosovo as an independent country in 2008 against the wishes of Serbia but opposing the recognition of Crimea. Russia opposed the independence of Kosovo. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Ukrainian troops doubt quick ceasefire, reject territorial concessions
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Service members of the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces use an RPG-7 grenade launcher during military exercises at a training ground, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine August 11, 2025. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova/File Photo KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine - Ukrainian soldiers preparing for battle say they have little faith in prospects for a quick ceasefire, and many reject suggestions that Kyiv should give up any of its hard-fought territory to Russia. Reuters interviewed troops at two training bases in the northeastern Kharkiv region this week, days ahead of a planned meeting in Alaska between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Ukraine fears the two leaders could use their summit on Friday to dictate terms of peace and force Kyiv to abandon territory, a move Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has flatly rejected. "Give it away to whom? Give it away for what?" asked the commander of a training base for Ukraine's 58th Motorised Brigade, whose call sign is Chef. Trump said on Monday that both Kyiv and Moscow would need to cede land to end the war, now in its fourth year. European Union leaders rallied to Ukraine's defence on Tuesday, saying it must have the freedom to decide its own future. The joint statement came as Russian forces made a sudden thrust into eastern Ukraine in a bid to break a key defensive line, likely aimed at boosting pressure on Kyiv to give up land. The rapid battlefield push by Russia's larger and better-equipped army followed months of deadly air strikes on Ukrainian towns and cities. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Luxury items seized in $3b money laundering case handed over to Deloitte for liquidation Singapore MyRepublic customers air concerns over broadband speed after sale to StarHub Singapore Power switchboard failure led to disruption in NEL, Sengkang-Punggol LRT services: SBS Transit Singapore NEL and Sengkang-Punggol LRT resume service after hours-long power fault Business Ninja Van cuts 12% of Singapore workforce after 2 rounds of layoffs in 2024 Singapore Hyflux investigator 'took advantage' of Olivia Lum's inability to recall events: Davinder Singh Singapore Man who stabbed son-in-law to death in Boon Tat Street in 2017 dies of heart attack, says daughter Singapore Man who stalked woman blasted by judge on appeal for asking scandalous questions in court A Gallup poll released last week found that 69% of Ukrainians favor a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible. However, around the same number believe fighting won't end soon. "Every path to peace is built through negotiations," said another 58th Brigade soldier, call sign Champion, sitting inside an armoured vehicle. "But I cannot say that tomorrow there will be peace just like that... Because the enemy continues to creep in." Trump said his talks with Putin would be "a feel-out meeting" and that he would tell the Russian leader to "end this war". But he also hinted that he may walk away and let the two sides continue fighting. Other Ukrainian troops training in the Kharkiv region also welcomed a ceasefire, but said the Kremlin would need to be forced into making peace. "Until Russia suffers losses big enough to give up the idea of military pressure on us, (fighting) will continue," said an instructor from the 43rd Separate Mechanised Brigade, whose call sign is Snail. "We will not be able to stop this otherwise." REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
What deal might emerge from Trump-Putin summit and could it hold?
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Russian traditional nesting dolls, known as Matryoshkas, with images of Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump are placed on a shelf during a demonstration at a gift shop in central Moscow, Russia, August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Yulia Morozova U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss a possible deal to end the war in Ukraine when they meet on Friday in Alaska for a summit that is also likely to affect wider European security. European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy plan to speak with Trump on Wednesday amid fears that Washington, hitherto Ukraine's leading arms supplier, may seek to dictate unfavourable peace terms to Kyiv. WHAT KIND OF DEAL COULD EMERGE FROM SUMMIT? Trump said last Friday that there would be "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both". This prompted consternation in Kyiv and European capitals that Russia could be rewarded for 11 years of efforts - the last three in full-blown war - to seize Ukrainian land. It occupies about 19% of Ukraine. Ukraine controls no Russian territory. "It's a reasonable concern to think that Trump will be bamboozled by Putin and cut a terrible deal at Ukraine's expense," said Daniel Fried, a former senior U.S. diplomat now with the Atlantic Council think-tank. But "better outcomes" for Ukraine were possible if Trump and his team "wake up to the fact that Putin is still playing them". Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Luxury items seized in $3b money laundering case handed over to Deloitte for liquidation Singapore MyRepublic customers air concerns over broadband speed after sale to StarHub Singapore Power switchboard failure led to disruption in NEL, Sengkang-Punggol LRT services: SBS Transit Singapore NEL and Sengkang-Punggol LRT resume service after hours-long power fault Business Ninja Van cuts 12% of Singapore workforce after 2 rounds of layoffs in 2024 Singapore Hyflux investigator 'took advantage' of Olivia Lum's inability to recall events: Davinder Singh Singapore Man who stabbed son-in-law to death in Boon Tat Street in 2017 dies of heart attack, says daughter Singapore Man who stalked woman blasted by judge on appeal for asking scandalous questions in court One could entail agreeing an "armistice line" instead of a transfer of territory, with only de facto - not legal - recognition of Russia's current gains. Any sustainable peace deal would also have to tackle such issues as future security guarantees for Ukraine, its aspirations to join NATO, the restrictions demanded by Moscow on the size of its military, and the future of Western sanctions on Russia. Trump has not commented on those issues since announcing the summit with Putin, though his administration has said Ukraine cannot join NATO. Diplomats say there is an outside possibility that Trump might instead strike a unilateral deal with Putin, prioritising lucrative energy contracts and potential arms control accords. Trump himself has said he might conclude in Alaska that a Ukraine peace deal cannot be done. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the possibility of Trump clinching a unilateral deal with Putin. WHAT IF UKRAINE OBJECTS TO ANY TRUMP-PUTIN DEAL? Trump would face strong resistance from Zelenskiy and his European allies if any deal expected Ukraine to cede territory. Zelenskiy says Ukraine's constitution prohibits such an outcome unless there is a referendum to change it. Trump could try to coerce Kyiv to accept such a deal by threatening to stop arms supplies and intelligence sharing. But analysts say there is more chance Ukraine might accept a freezing of battlelines and an unstable, legally non-binding partition. One European official told Reuters that, even if Trump did renege on recent promises to resume arms supplies to Ukraine, he was likely to continue allowing Europe to buy U.S. weapons on Ukraine's behalf. "The loss of U.S. intelligence capabilities would be the hardest element to replace. Europe can't even come close to providing that support," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. HOW MIGHT A DEAL AFFECT TRUMP'S SUPPORT AT HOME? There would be big political risks in the U.S. for Trump in abandoning Ukraine, said John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Kyiv, now with the Atlantic Council. This would portray him as "an accomplice in Putin's rape of Ukraine ... I don't think Trump wants to be seen that way, for sure", he said. Despite his strong political position at home, Trump would also come under fire even from parts of the American right if he were to be seen as caving in to Russia. "To reward Putin ... would be to send the exact opposite message that we must be sending to dictators, and would-be-dictators, across the globe," Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican lawmaker and former FBI agent, said on X last week. HOW MIGHT UKRAINE'S EUROPEAN ALLIES RESPOND? EU member states said on Tuesday that Ukraine must be free to decide its own future and that they were ready to contribute further to security guarantees for Kyiv. Oana Lungescu, a former NATO spokesperson now with the RUSI think-tank, said European states must move much faster to arm Ukraine, and start EU accession talks in September. Jana Kobzova, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that "... if an unacceptable deal emerges from Alaska, European capitals will go into yet another diplomatic and charm offensive vis-a-vis Trump". "European leaders are increasingly aware that the future of Ukraine's security is inseparable from that of the rest of Europe - and they can't let Putin alone decide its future shape and form." REUTERS
