NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang warned that China will win the race to develop next-generation artificial intelligence (AI), and called on Washington to accelerate its efforts.

The head of the US semiconductor giant told the Financial Times that energy subsidies granted by Beijing are Boosting Chinese capabilities in the advanced chip sector used to power AI.

“China is going to win the AI ??race,” the executive said Wednesday at an event in London, according to the British newspaper.

“As I’ve said for a long time, China is nanoseconds behind the US in AI,” he added in a statement posted on the social network X by NVIDIA. “It’s vital that the US win by getting ahead and attracting developers from around the world.”

Nvidia seeks to export chips to China

The California-based company became the world’s first company valued at $5 trillion last week. However, since then its market capitalization has fallen to around $4.7 trillion.

NVIDIA's high-end chips, used to train and power generative AI systems, are not currently sold in China due to US national security concerns and bans imposed by Beijing.

Earlier this week, the White House stated that it remained uninterested in allowing the company to sell its advanced Blackwell chip model in China.

The US has cited the risk of giving China a military advantage as the reason for the blockade.

Huang has repeatedly asked Washington to relax its restrictions on NVIDIA chip exports, stating that this policy will only help the Asian giant advance its own technology.

The businessman also criticized new AI regulations introduced by several US states in the Financial Times on Wednesday,comparing them to China, where the state subsidizes electricity to power this technology.