NVIDIA CEO applauds China's AI progress, calls models 'world class'
What's the story
NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang has praised China's generative artificial intelligence (AI) models. The commendation comes just a day after the US-based tech giant announced its plans to resume sales of a key AI chip to China. Huang made the remarks at the opening ceremony of a supply chain expo in Beijing on Wednesday.
Global impact
Huang's remarks on China's AI models
Huang noted that China has developed "world-class" models like DeepSeek, Alibaba, Tencent, MiniMax, and Baidu Ernie bot. He said these models are shared openly and have spurred AI developments worldwide. The NVIDIA CEO also emphasized the role of over 1.5 million developers in China who use NVIDIA's technology to bring their innovations to life.
Open-source benefits
Huang praises China's open-source approach to AI
Huang also praised Chinese companies for their open-source approach to AI, which allows developers free access to the underlying code. He said, "China's open-source AI is a catalyst for global progress, giving every country and industry a chance to join the AI revolution." The NVIDIA CEO also highlighted how AI powers popular Chinese consumer tech such as Tencent's WeChat social media app and ByteDance's Douyin short-video app.
Market disruption
DeepSeek AI model surprised global investors in January
DeepSeek, a China-developed AI model, surprised global investors in January by undercutting OpenAI on development and operating costs. The details of how DeepSeek was developed under broad US chip restrictions on China remain unclear. However, reports suggest that the start-up's parent company High-Flyer had stockpiled NVIDIA chips to circumvent these restrictions.
Export resumption
NVIDIA to resume chip sales to China
NVIDIA has announced its plan to resume H20 chip shipments to China soon. The decision comes after the company received assurances from the US government. Previously, these sales were halted in April due to new US requirements at the time. Huang had earlier warned that Chinese telecom giant Huawei could benefit from US AI chip curbs on exports to China. In May, he said that US chip restrictions had nearly halved NVIDIA's share in the country.