Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has displaced Apple CEO Tim Cook as the most influential tech leader in Washington thanks to his contributions to the AI revolution, announced Wedbush lead analyst Dan Ives. This has already paid dividends for Nvidia - the company was recently authorized to resume sales of its H20 AI chips in China.

Details

The rapid growth of the AI sector has not only made Nvidia more valuable than Apple in terms of market capitalization, but has also allowed company head Jensen Huang to surpass Apple CEO Tim Cook in terms of political clout in Washington, said Wedbush's Dan Ives, whose opinion is cited by CNBC. 

"He [Huang] has carved out a unique political niche by leading the AI revolution," Ives noted. - The importance of Nvidia's chips made him a key player - they're what's powering all AI progress today."

This influence was particularly pronounced in July: during Huang's visit to Beijing, Nvidia announced that it would soon resume shipments of H20 AI chips to China - despite current U.S. export restrictions. A few days before that, Huang met with Trump in Washington.

"This was a historic achievement - both for Nvidia and for Huang personally," Ives emphasizes. - His influence within the Trump administration is only growing.

What other analysts are saying

 If Cook was the main tech figure in President Trump's first term, now it's Huang, agrees Ray Wang, head of Constellation Research. "Pretty much everything today hinges on Nvidia chips," he explained (his words also cited by CNBC).

Research company Omdia commented on the situation more discreetly. "The purpose of Huang's visit [to China] is to demonstrate commitment to the Chinese market. However, it needs to be balanced with the concerns of the US authorities," considers chief analyst Liang Jie Su.

WSJ analysts at the same time warn: the meteoric rise in publicity can also come with risks. "Huang has created the most valuable tech asset of the decade. But it has also become vulnerable: if something goes wrong - whether in China or the Middle East - it can become a symbol of failure," says CSIS's Barat Haritas.

During President Trump's first term, Tim Cook successfully convinced him not to impose duties on iPhone imports, arguing that Apple's competitors, particularly South Korea's Samsung Electronics, would benefit. This year, Cook criticized Trump for increasing iPhone production in India in an effort to circumvent duties on imports from China.

Context 

In mid-July, the Trump administration officially approved the resumption of Nvidia H20 chip shipments to China. Some media outlets credited Huang personally, who had been warning for months that excessive U.S. restrictions would only strengthen the position of Chinese competitors like Huawei. In particular, The New York Times wrote that Huang had consistently communicated this position to the White House, including meetings with Trump and his advisers. 

Huang has generally been active in big geopolitics. This year alone, he has met with Trump several times and accompanied him on a trip to the Middle East. In May, that visit included a deal to supply hundreds of thousands of chips to the UAE. The contract strengthened the U.S. position in the technology race and cemented Nvidia's role as a key supplier of AI infrastructure in the region - especially amid competition from Huawei.

Nvidia's stock is responding with a surge. Since the beginning of the year, they have gained more than 27%, outperforming the S&P 500 index by several times and fully recovering from the spring decline. 

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor

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