Huang of Nvidia to Join Trump on UK State Visit Next Week

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is slated to accompany President Donald Trump on a state visit to the U.K. next week, according to a source familiar with the matter. The insider, who requested anonymity, confirmed the trip to CNBC’s Kristina Partsinevelos on Monday.

Huang is expected to be among a cohort of prominent U.S. business leaders joining Trump, potentially including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Blackstone CEO Steven Schwartzman, and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, as initially reported by Sky News. Apple CEO Tim Cook has also reportedly received an invitation. These figures are anticipated to attend a state banquet hosted by King Charles.

Huang’s planned participation in the U.K. trip, despite his absence from last week’s White House dinner for tech CEOs, underscores Nvidia’s proactive engagement with the Trump administration. This is seen as particularly crucial as Nvidia seeks licenses to export its Blackwell series AI chips to China.

Concerns regarding market access to China arose for Nvidia earlier this year, leading Huang to cultivate a closer rapport with President Trump, publicly praising his administration’s dedication to bolstering U.S. manufacturing. Huang has argued that permitting Nvidia to continue exporting chips to China will ultimately safeguard U.S. national security by ensuring American dominance in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

President Trump has previously lauded Nvidia’s technological leadership, particularly celebrating the company’s crossing of the $4 trillion market capitalization threshold, according to Huang.

Earlier this year, Nvidia faced restrictions on its access to the Chinese market due to export controls implemented by the Trump administration. Subsequently, Huang met with President Trump twice during the summer, securing export waivers for Nvidia’s H20 AI chip designed for the Chinese market. Trump stated he had negotiated a 15% cut of those chip sales with Huang. Nvidia clarified last month that the specifics of the U.S. government’s commission remain under discussion.

In May, Huang also joined President Trump on a trip to Saudi Arabia for an investment forum, further solidifying ties between the chip giant and the U.S. administration.

The scrapped H20 chips previously projected to generate $8 billion in a single quarter. Nvidia anticipates potentially selling up to $5 billion worth of H20 chips this quarter, conditional on the prevailing geopolitical climate.

Now, Nvidia is focusing on securing the necessary licenses to sell newer Blackwell-architecture chips to China. Huang told investors last month that there is a “real possibility” of obtaining regulatory approval, though analysts caution that the path forward hinges on delicate negotiations and ongoing geopolitical considerations. The U.K. state visit could provide a crucial venue for further discussions surrounding these critical export licenses and Nvidia’s strategic positioning in the global AI market.