U.S. President Donald Trump praised Nvidia (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang, calling him a “smart man” following a private meeting on Wednesday, where they discussed U.S. chip export controls to China. Trump stated that Huang “knows very well” and has done an “amazing job” at Nvidia (NVDA).
Alongside, Huang also praised Trump for “sticking his neck out” to help the nation prioritize energy as necessary for economic growth.
During Huang’s appearance on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, he said that the current growth of the AI industry in the U.S. could not have been possible without Trump’s proactive policies.
“…And the fact that he [Trump] came into office and the first thing that he said was ‘drill, baby, drill’. The point is we need energy growth. Without energy growth, we can have no industrial growth. And that was…it saved the AI industry,” Huang told the host.
“I’ve said it repeatedly that we support export controls, and that we should ensure that American companies have the best and the most and first,” Huang told reporters on Capitol Hill.
Separately, the U.S. lawmakers are considering a proposal to limit AI exports to nations like China, including the Guaranteeing Access and Innovation for National Artificial Intelligence Act ((GAIN AI Act)) in a major defense package, known as the National Defense Authorization Act.
“The GAIN AI Act is even more detrimental to the United States than the AI Diffusion Act,” Huang commented “State-by-state AI regulation would drag this industry into a halt and it would create a national security concern, as we need to make sure that the United States advances AI technology as quickly as possible,” he said. “A federal AI regulation is the wisest.”