Nvidia-backed 'Super Bowl of AI' is going to Washington

Company has significantly increased presence in US capital this year

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang says for the first time, the company's GTC conference will be held in Washington. AP Photo

Nvidia announced on Tuesday that the company's flagship and much-anticipated GTC conference will take place in Washington this year.

During the last graphics processing unit technology conference (GTC) in March, chief executive Jensen Huang, who has become one of the tech world's most recognisable figures in recent years, described the event as the “Woodstock” and “Super Bowl” of artificial intelligence.

The company said it is the first time the GTC summit, scheduled for October 27-29, will take place in Washington.

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang makes the keynote address during the Nvidia GTC 2025 at SAP Centre on March 18 in San Jose, California. Its focus moves to Washington this autumn Getty Images

“GTC DC brings together researchers, developers, business leaders, and policymakers in the heart of our nation’s capital to explore breakthroughs in AI, robotics, life sciences, energy, quantum and 6G-advancing innovations vital to America’s technological leadership,” said Mr Huang.

During Nvidia's GTC conference hosted in California this year, Mr Huang introduced new chips and spoke of his vision for Agentic AI, autonomous vehicles, robotics and accelerated computing.

The announcement comes after he strongly endorsed President Donald Trump's recently announced AI Action Plan during an event in Washington.

Nvidia's chief executive has made trips to Washington over the course of this year, and more specifically the White House, where he has sought to reverse what he has described harmful chip export policies enacted under former US president Joe Biden.

Five Democratic Senators sent this letter to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, criticising the Trump Administration's decision to allow for the sale of Nvidia's H20 GPU to China.

Mr Huang has been somewhat successful with regard to those lobbying efforts: the Trump administration announced plans last month to grant licences to Nvidia so it could resume sales of its H20 GPU to China.

That decision, however, was met with criticism from some Senate Democrats and technology analysts, who described the H20 chip sales to China was “an abrupt departure” from the administration's position in April that Beijing's access to the processors posed a serious national security risk.

Last week, a representative for the US Department of Commerce defended the licences and said they were an improvement on recent years, claiming that the Biden administration had not imposed “any restrictions on the H20 whatsoever and they flowed freely into China”.

The representative added that the Trump White House was the first to implement a licence requirement for the exports to Beijing.

“The Trump administration will consider any H20 licence applications carefully,” the Commerce Department representative told The National.

Nvidia also defended the company's push to sell the H20 to China.

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang with US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum before President Donald Trump speaks during an AI summit. AP Photo

“The H20 helps America win the support of developers worldwide, promoting America's economic and national security,” an Nvidia representative told The National. “It does not enhance anyone’s military capabilities, and the US government has full visibility and authority over every H20 transaction.”

Despite continued controversy over exports to China, Nvidia has had many reasons to do a victory lap in recent weeks. In July, it become the first public company in the world to pass $4 trillion in market capitalisation.

Nvidia has also played a major role in a global AI infrastructure project backed by the UAE, and in May, the company, along with Oracle and OpenAI, teamed up with Abu Dhabi's G42 to bolster an AI hub project called Stargate UAE.