Analysis-In China, AMD CEO Lisa Su is understated while Nvidia's Huang is more razzmatazz

When Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) chief executive Lisa Su visited China last week, her low-key approach contrasted sharply with that of her rival Jensen Huang of Nvidia, who had drawn crowds in Beijing just days earlier. While Huang posed for photographs and sampled local delicacies such as Beijing-style soybean paste noodles, Su maintained a restrained public presence, reflecting divergent corporate strategies in the strategically vital yet politically sensitive Chinese market for artificial intelligence chips. Their contrasting styles highlight not only differing business priorities but also the evolving dynamics of US-China tech competition, where market access and diplomatic nuance carry increasing weight.

Their fortunes in China have diverged markedly over the past year. At the Computex trade show in Taipei a year ago, Huang warned that Nvidia’s market share in China had plummeted from 95% to approximately 50% due to US export controls. By this year, he estimated that Nvidia’s share had effectively fallen to zero, as Beijing accelerates efforts toward self-reliance in advanced AI semiconductors. Huang has projected the Chinese AI chip market to be worth $50 billion in 2024, underscoring both its scale and the high stakes involved. In contrast, AMD currently holds around 4% of the market, according to research firm IDC, but boasts a broader portfolio that includes central processing units (CPUs), consumer graphics cards, AI chipsets, and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Analysts at Omdia note that this diversification allows AMD to engage with a wider range of Chinese customers and architectures, particularly as AI workloads expand beyond large-model training into enterprise applications.

The personal dimension adds another layer: both Su and Huang are from Taiwan and have acknowledged distant familial ties. Yet their public personas and policy positions differ distinctly. Su, who met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng during her visit, emphasized cooperation and welcomed China’s growth trajectory, while Huang has been more outspoken about the risks posed by US export restrictions, arguing they could cede ground to domestic rivals like Huawei. Notably, Huang’s visit to Beijing around the recent summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump did not yield a comparable high-level meeting, a silence that underscored the political sensitivities surrounding his firm’s role in China.

As both CEOs prepare to reconvene at Computex in Taiwan next week, their contrasting strategies toward one of the world’s most critical technology markets are becoming clearer. With recent commitments to invest in Taiwan’s semiconductor infrastructure, both are positioning themselves within the global supply chain dominated by TSMC. For Su, a more discreet engagement with Beijing appears aligned with the cautious geopolitical climate. Industry advisers suggest that such an understated approach may better serve multinational CEOs navigating the complexities of US-China relations, where commercial decisions are increasingly intertwined with political considerations.