Jensen Huang says the US needs to win a key people battle with China

In a recent discussion, Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, emphasized the critical need for the United States to attract and retain global talent in the AI sector, especially developers based in China. Speaking on the podcast "Memos to the President," Huang highlighted that leadership in artificial intelligence relies not solely on advanced hardware or regulatory frameworks, but fundamentally on people. Huang pointed out that a staggering 50% of the world's AI developers reside in China, underscoring the importance of winning over this talent pool. He stated, "The first job of any platform is to win all developers," noting that developers are emerging from regions such as Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East as the demand for AI technology surges globally. He argued that the U.S. must ensure that developers worldwide are utilizing the "American tech stack," which encompasses everything from semiconductors to cloud infrastructure. Huang asserted, "The American tech stack should be the global standard, just as the American dollar is the global standard." Huang also criticized current U.S. policies that limit access to technology, advocating instead for a strategy focused on expanding American influence in the tech industry. He remarked, "The more your technology is everywhere, the more developers you're going to have." These comments coincided with Nvidia's announcement to resume the sale of its H20 chips to China, following assurances from the U.S. government that necessary licenses would be granted. This decision marks a significant shift from the previous administration's stringent export restrictions on advanced technology to China, which Nvidia had warned could lead to substantial revenue losses. Furthermore, Huang has been vocal about the robust state of China's AI industry, describing it as 'fantastic' in previous interviews. He pointed out that Chinese AI models like DeepSeek and Manus are emerging as serious competitors to their American counterparts, with top-tier Chinese researchers being actively recruited by U.S. companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic. Reflecting on the intense competition, Huang expressed concern over Washington's handling of export controls intended to curb China's technological advancements. He noted that these measures may have inadvertently fueled China's AI development by providing the necessary motivation and governmental backing, labeling the export control strategy as a failure.