Elizabeth Warren Says Trump Approving Nvidia's Chip Deal Will Drive Up Prices Of Smartphones And Laptops: China Wins, Rest Of Us Lose

On Wednesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) criticized the Donald Trump administration's approval of Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) selling its "advanced" chips to China. Warren Flags Price Risks, AI Competition Concerns Her statement came after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said that the chipmaker is restarting shipments of advanced processors to China. "Trump just signed off on NVIDIA's plan to divert advanced chips to China," Warren wrote on X. "That'll drive prices of laptops and smartphones even higher — and help China overtake us in AI. Big Tech and China win. The rest of us lose." Trump just signed off on NVIDIA's plan to divert advanced chips to China. That'll drive prices of laptops and smartphones even higher – and help China overtake us in AI. Big Tech and China win. The rest of us lose. https://t.co/cC0TDMJIkN— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) March 18, 2026 Warren. Nvidia and the White House did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comments. Previously, former U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also criticized Trump for his decision to allow Nvidia to sell its H200 AI chips to China. Nvidia Restarts China Orders After Regulatory Clearance The comments came after Nvidia Huang confirmed the company has begun receiving new purchase orders from Chinese customers for its advanced H200 chips. He added that Nvidia has secured the necessary approvals from both U.S. and Chinese regulators, clearing a key hurdle that had stalled shipments for months. Export Curbs, Revenue Hit And China Strategy Nvidia's China business has faced turbulence since export restrictions imposed under Trump required licenses for shipping high-end AI chips. The curbs forced Nvidia to warn of a $5.5 billion charge and develop lower-performance chips tailored to comply with U.S. rules. New AI Chips For China In The Works Separately, Nvidia is reportedly developing a new line of AI chips for China using technology from Groq. Unlike earlier export-compliant versions, these chips are expected to be more adaptable and not specifically downgraded. The new processors could launch as early as May. Price Action: Nvidia shares closed at $180.40 on Wednesday, down 0.84% and slipped further to $180.25 in after-hours trading, declining another 0.083%, according to Benzinga Pro. Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings indicate the stock is underperforming in the short and medium term, but shows a strong upward trend over the long term, backed by a Growth score in the 97th percentile. Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.Photo Courtesy: Bryan J. Scrafford on Shutterstock.com