Nvidia CEO tours Shanghai amid fresh signs of China thaw

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has begun his latest trip to China – visiting a grocery market in Shanghai on Saturday after touring the chipmaker’s local office – at a time when Beijing is expected to allow imports of the company’s H200 artificial intelligence chips.

Huang was seen at a grocery market on Saturday in Shanghai’s busy Lujiazui area, looking relaxed, according to multiple photos circulated on social media.

Earlier, Huang met with Shanghai-based staff to review Nvidia’s milestones for 2025 and to discuss its product pipeline for the year ahead, although the H200 was not mentioned in the discussion, Tencent Holdings’ news portal reported on Friday.

He is expected to arrive in Beijing on Monday, with the office’s annual Lunar New Year celebration taking place that evening, according to an Nvidia employee.

Besides Beijing, Huang is also expected to visit Nvidia staff in Shenzhen, continuing a routine he has followed over the past two years to mark the Lunar New Year with employees and business partners. This year’s holiday begins in mid-February.

Nvidia did not immediately respond to an email inquiry sent on Saturday.

The visit comes at a critical moment for Nvidia, as the H200 – its second most powerful AI chip – has yet to clear regulatory hurdles in China. Last week, Washington approved exports of the chip, with the US government set to collect a 25 per cent fee. However, Beijing’s temporary import ban has cast uncertainty over its availability.