Nvidia CEO Says Robotics Will Drive Next Wave of AI; China Well-Positioned for Breakthroughs

Credit: CFP

TMTPOST -- Nvidia CEO and co-founder Jensen Huang spoke at the opening ceremony of the 3rd China International Supply Chain Expo on Tuesday, marking his third visit to China this year.

In his remarks, Huang highlighted the critical role of open-source AI in China, praised the country’s manufacturing and supply chain strength, and pointed to robotics as the next frontier in artificial intelligence.

Here are the key takeaways from Huang’s speech:

• China’s developer base is booming: Over 1.5 million developers in China are building on Nvidia platforms, turning their innovations into real-world applications. Major Chinese open-source foundation models like DeepSeek, Alibaba’s Qwen, Tencent’s Hunyuan, MiniMax, and Baidu’s Ernie Bot are helping drive global AI progress.

• Open-source AI as a global catalyst: Huang said China’s open-source AI ecosystem is accelerating global innovation and inclusion, giving countries and industries equal access to the AI revolution. He added that open-source is also key to AI safety, promoting collaboration on international standards and benchmarks.

• AI is the new infrastructure: Just like electricity or the internet, AI is now foundational infrastructure. Huang noted that AI is reshaping supply chains and transforming how the world produces and moves goods. “China’s supply chain is a miracle,” he said.

• Widespread adoption of Nvidia Omniverse: Hundreds of projects in China are using Nvidia Omniverse to simulate digital twins for factory and warehouse design. Robots are being trained in virtual environments to work safely alongside humans in the real world.

• Robotics is the next big wave: The next decade of AI will be defined by robotic systems that can reason, execute, and understand the physical world. Future factories will be run by AI-powered software, coordinating teams of robots that manufacture intelligent products.

• H20 supply ramp-up underway: Huang acknowledged supply constraints for Nvidia’s H20 chips, which were recently approved for export to China. He said the company is working to scale production over the coming months and is also preparing to launch a fully compatible RTX PRO chip series.

• China’s AI innovation ecosystem is thriving: Huang noted that China is advancing rapidly in AI invention, integration, and application. Fierce market competition has led to the emergence of world-class capabilities. He noted that China's education system trains roughly 50% of the world’s AI researchers and has deep talent reserves in science, math, and computer science, fueling a dynamic and fast-evolving ecosystem.

• Praise for Xiaomi and EVs: Huang expressed interest in buying a Xiaomi car, highlighting Nvidia’s strong partnerships with the company. “Over the past five years, China’s electric vehicles have shocked the world,” he noted.

• Respect for Huawei: Calling it an “incredible technology company,” Huang praised Huawei’s integrated capabilities in chips, systems, and networking. “Anyone who underestimates Huawei or Chinese manufacturing is deeply naive,” he warned.

• DeepSeek as a global breakthrough: Huang said DeepSeek is the world’s first open-source reasoning model, calling it an undisputed milestone. He emphasized that China is progressing rapidly not just at the model layer, but also at the application level.

• China leads in humanoid robots: Huang said China holds a “very advantageous position” in humanoid robotics due to its strong AI foundation, world-class electromechanical integration, and large-scale manufacturing capacity. “These three conditions are unique to China,” he said, expressing strong optimism for the country’s future in robotics.