NVIDIA Corporation (NVIDIA (NVDA)) shares climbed 1.85% in Thursday's premarket session as investors weighed the geopolitical implications of CEO Jensen Huang joining President Donald Trump's China delegation. The move puts renewed attention on the chipmaker's exposure to the Chinese AI market, which remains a double-edged sword.

Huang Joins Trump's Beijing Delegation

Huang traveled to Beijing after Trump personally requested his participation in the high-profile summit, underscoring NVIDIA's increasingly central role in the global AI and semiconductor race. China represented 9.11% of NVIDIA's fiscal 2025 revenue, down sharply from roughly 19% to 20% in each of the previous two fiscal years, according to the company's latest annual filing, as U.S. export restrictions tightened.

Speaking to reporters, Huang said Trump invited him to support the administration during what he described as one of the world's most consequential international summits. He also stressed the importance of constructive U.S.-China cooperation between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

CNBC, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported Thursday that Trump contacted Huang after media reports highlighted the NVIDIA chief's absence from the original delegation list. Huang later traveled to Alaska to board Air Force One.

China Trade Talks Revive Focus on AI Chip Restrictions

Trade access and technology cooperation remained key themes during the Beijing meetings, with Trump signaling plans to push China to further open its markets to American companies. The delegation also included Tesla Inc. (Tesla (TSLA)) CEO Elon Musk, Apple Inc. (Apple (AAPL)) CEO Tim Cook, BlackRock Inc. (BlackRock (BLK)) CEO Larry Fink, and Boeing Company (Boeing (BA)) CEO Kelly Ortberg.

Huang described the summit's opening ceremony as encouraging, saying both Trump and Xi delivered welcoming and optimistic remarks. However, U.S. restrictions on advanced AI chip exports to China remain a major overhang for NVIDIA. The company said in February that China-specific versions of its AI chips approved under U.S. rules had still not received clearance for sale in the country.

Former U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez also said Huang's attendance was largely symbolic, adding that the U.S. remains far from any agreement with China on AI chip export controls.

Earnings and Analyst Forecasts

NVIDIA is scheduled to report quarterly results on May 20, 2026. Wall Street expects earnings of $1.76 per share, up from 96 cents a year earlier, on projected revenue of $78.93 billion versus $44.06 billion last year. The stock trades at roughly 46.1 times earnings, reflecting continued investor confidence in AI-driven growth.

Analysts maintain a consensus Buy rating on the stock, with an average analyst forecast of $282.40. Forecasts currently range from a low of $235 to a high of $360 based on estimates from 50 analysts. Recent analyst calls include:

• Wells Fargo: Overweight rating, analyst forecast raised to $315 on May 12
• Benchmark: Buy rating maintained with a $250 forecast on March 31
• Rosenblatt: Buy rating maintained with a $325 forecast on March 23

Price Action

NVIDIA shares were up 1.85% at $230.00 during premarket trading on Thursday, according to market data.