Nvidia CEO warns US could lose AI race without Chinese talent

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang defended Chinese tech talent at the company’s Washington D.C. developer conference, warning that the U.S. could fall behind China in AI development if it doesn’t continue attracting global researchers. His comments highlight a growing tension between national security concerns and the need for international talent, as half of the world’s AI researchers come from China—a country that was once a key recruitment pool for Silicon Valley.

What you should know: Huang made his case for continued immigration and talent recruitment despite ongoing U.S.-China tensions over semiconductor technology.

• “Is it possible that the United States falls behind China? The answer is absolutely yes,” Huang said, citing the statistic that half of global AI researchers are Chinese.
• He emphasized the importance of the U.S. remaining attractive to immigrants like himself who want to “come here to do our education, to stay and build our career and build our life.”

The political context: Huang’s remarks came as he sat alongside Energy Secretary Chris Wright, creating a subtle policy disagreement moment.

• Wright stressed that the Trump administration’s issues are with the Chinese government, not the Chinese people.
• This represents one of the few areas where Huang differs with White House policy, though he has expressed similar views before.

The bigger challenge: Attracting global talent is becoming increasingly difficult as nationalist rhetoric rises and countries compete to retain their brightest minds.

• Chinese student enrollment at U.S. universities has fallen by more than 25% from its peak in the 2019-2020 school year.
• Reversing this trend will require more than just removing export control blacklists, according to the analysis.

Why this matters: The talent war represents a critical but underexplored dimension of U.S.-China tech competition, beyond the widely covered semiconductor restrictions.

• With AI development increasingly dependent on human capital, losing access to Chinese researchers could significantly impact American tech leadership.
• The timing is particularly sensitive as Trump and Xi Jinping were scheduled to meet to discuss potential trade deals.