Nvidia and AMD lobby the Trump administration to block or halt potential new export restrictions on advanced AI chips bound for China.

Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices are intensifying lobbying efforts with the Trump administration to prevent new restrictions on semiconductor exports to China. The chipmakers have engaged with White House officials and senior Commerce Department members in recent weeks, according to reporting from Politico.

The push for access follows a high-profile show of alignment: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD CEO Lisa Su both attended last week's state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping, sitting at the head table with President Trump. The companies are now urging the administration to discourage lawmakers from including China-specific chip export restrictions in the annual defense policy bill, which has bipartisan support among leading Republicans.

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren has criticized the lobbying campaign, warning that chipmaker influence could shape lawmakers' decisions on export controls. "Donald Trump seems to want to do business with Nvidia, regardless of what it does to our country," Warren said. She has called for halting Nvidia's advanced chip sales to China altogether.

The lobbying effort comes as China explores easing its own restrictions on semiconductor purchases. A report on Sunday indicated that Beijing has told companies including ByteDance and Alibaba Group that it plans to approve purchases of Nvidia's RTX PRO 5500 chips, with industry executives expecting these devices to fall outside U.S. export controls. In August, limited shipments of Nvidia's powerful H200 AI chips were approved for delivery to mainland China, signaling a partial relaxation of restrictions on advanced processors, though these older-generation chips trail Nvidia's latest Blackwell lineup.

The policy debates arrive as Nvidia's China revenue has contracted significantly. The company's China-related revenue fell to $4.55 billion in the first quarter from $9.66 billion a year earlier. On a year-to-date basis, Nvidia shares have gained 22.71% and AMD shares have surged 183.84%.