SPECIAL REPORT

Nvidia's China Chip Sales Sit At Zero Ahead Of Trump-Xi Summit

Rare-earth magnet exports to the US have plunged as both governments prepare to meet on September 24, with billions in chip sales hanging on the outcome.

Executive takeaway

Nvidia's $108 billion sales forecast assumes zero AI chip sales to China, a gap that could close or widen depending on what Trump and Xi agree to on September 24.

China's exports of rare-earth magnets to the United States have dropped sharply in the run-up to a planned meeting between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping, according to ZeroHedge. Rare-earth magnets are used in electric motors and many electronics, and the pullback in shipments comes as both governments position themselves ahead of the summit. The stakes are highest for chipmakers. Nvidia's current $108 billion sales forecast assumes it sells no AI chips to China at all, according to a Motley Fool analysis, meaning the September 24 summit could either validate that cautious baseline or open a market Nvidia has priced at zero. Meanwhile Alibaba unveiled a new AI chip it called China's most powerful, and said it plans an AI model with 5 trillion to 10 trillion parameters, signaling that Chinese firms are building domestic alternatives regardless of how the trade talks go. What remains unresolved is whether the summit produces any change to export controls or tariffs on chips and rare earths, or whether both sides simply maintain the current standoff. Asia stocks rose on September 21 partly on optimism tied to the meeting, tracking a US tech rally, but that optimism could reverse quickly if the talks produce no concrete agreement.
What would change this view

If the September 24 Trump-Xi meeting results in eased export restrictions that let Nvidia book any China AI chip sales above the zero currently baked into its $108 billion forecast, the framing of a frozen market would be wrong.

Wire sources cited

Produced automatically by the INDY NEWS Desk from the public wire sources cited above, and checked against them before publication. Market commentary, not investment advice.