MONEY MASTER

US President  Donald Trump  said he did not discuss authorising exports of  Nvidia Corp’s Blackwell AI chips  to China during his meeting with President  Xi Jinping , cooling investor hopes that the powerful processors might be cleared for sale to the world’s largest semiconductor market. Blackwell Chips Off the Table Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said he and Xi discussed  Nvidia’s access to China in general , but confirmed that  Blackwell accelerators were not part of the conversation . “We did discuss chips,” Trump said. “They are going to be talking to Nvidia and others about taking chips. But we’re not talking about the Blackwell.” The clarification followed Trump’s earlier remarks suggesting he might revisit US export restrictions, which briefly fuelled market optimism and helped Nvidia shares rally — pushing its market value to  US$5 trillion  for the first time. Policy Stance: No Change in AI Chip Controls US Trade Representativ...

Futurum Group CEO Daniel Newman says the U.S. government’s decision to take a 10% stake in Intel marks a pivotal moment in Washington’s push to strengthen domestic chipmaking and reduce reliance on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC). Speaking with Bloomberg’s Vonnie Quinn and Caroline Hyde on  The Close , Newman framed the move as both a market signal and a national security play. A U.S.-Backed Chip Champion Newman noted that while TSMC remains the industry’s gold standard, ongoing tensions between China and Taiwan make U.S. dependence on the Taiwanese chipmaker unsustainable. “The United States needs its own chip champion that can manufacture at the same level as TSMC,” he said. “Relying solely on Taiwan is not a great strategy going forward.” Intel, however, has struggled to regain credibility with major clients such as NVIDIA, Apple, and AMD. Newman argued that government backing could accelerate Intel’s foundry ambitions, even if that means taking “skin in the game” ...