Nvidia and AMD push to keep China chip sales alive, Politico reported this month
Both chipmakers have lobbied Washington to soften export limits, according to Politico reporting from September 21, even as their China revenue stays a fraction of total sales
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Chart: NVDA, one-minute prices, three sessions
Nvidia and AMD have been lobbying lawmakers to preserve their ability to sell chips in China, Politico reported on September 21, according to the Daily Caller. The report said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has had some success persuading Congress to pull back proposed restrictions, and that hardware makers including Nvidia have pushed to strip language from this year's National Defense Authorization Act that would add scrutiny to chip exports to China.
Nvidia has said on an earnings call that high-end chip sales to China made up less than 1% of its data center revenue, according to the Daily Caller, citing Yahoo Finance. AMD is separately seeking to sell its MI308 chip, a downgraded version of what it offers in the US, to Chinese customers, according to Yahoo Finance.
China market access has been the one lasting overhang on both stocks, even as Huang's guidance for doubled shipments and recent buyback expansions have signalled confidence in demand elsewhere. The lobbying effort confirms China remains commercially meaningful to both companies rather than a market they have written off. But a company push to preserve access is not a policy outcome, and export controls remain unresolved even after Huang's appearance at a dinner with Trump and Xi. None of this changes the calculus in Washington: it underscores how much revenue is riding on the outcome without shifting the odds that restrictions are eased or tightened.