Nvidia CEO Huang says AI will 'define next century' at Beijing expo

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called artificial intelligence a generational opportunity during his first appearance at the China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) last week, drawing rock star-like attention from journalists at the Beijing event.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks at an event during the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing, July 17, 2025. [Photo courtesy of the CISCE Organizing Committee]

"AI will define the world for the next century," Huang said during a dialogue with Dr. Wang Jian, director of Zhejiang Lab and founder of Alibaba Cloud, at the expo on July 17. "And this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, really. And in fact, you could even say that this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. I'm glad that there's so much interest. And quite frankly, I'm delighted to see so much advancement here. China has so much expertise, so much advancement."

The executive was surrounded by a tightly packed group of journalists from media outlets, including China.org.cn, immediately following the event. When asked what impressed him about AI in China, he said "speed."

"I've said it many times that China has a very large population of AI researchers. And the reason for that, I believe, has to do with China's long, deep interest in science and math," Huang said. "The combination of mathematics and computer science is essential to advancing artificial intelligence. And China has a very large population of great researchers who are really, really good, perfectly prepared for this moment."

"Artificial intelligence, of course, is the next major technology revolution. It's really just at the beginning," he said. 

Huang said AI's ability to understand information and generate reasoning is remarkable, enabling systems to solve new problems through step-by-step analysis similar to human thinking.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks with Dr. Wang Jian, director of Zhejiang Lab and founder of Alibaba Cloud, during the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing, July 17, 2025. [Photo courtesy of the CISCE Organizing Committee]

AI development will next focus on integrating AI into robotics, Huang said. He added that the industry is approaching artificial general intelligence — AI that outperforms humans on most cognitive tasks — which has shifted discussions from whether AI works to whether it could become superintelligent.

"Our car extended human mobility, airplanes extended human mobility. Now, AI is going to extend human intelligence," he said.

Huang said AI must be developed safely because the systems operate autonomously. He said established safety practices exist, but developers must continue advancing security and cybersecurity technologies.

"The safety technology could be inside-out so that the AI itself has many other AIs keeping it safe, or it could be outside-in so that the environment could monitor the AI and keep it safe. So all of those different techniques are going to have to be advanced," he said.

Huang praised China's open-source engineering capabilities and large language models like DeepSeek. "Don't forget that open source not only helps the Chinese ecosystem, but also has many global implications. It is also very important to know that open source is the safest way to advance," he said.

Earlier this month, Nvidia became the first company to reach $4 trillion in market value. Huang, who has visited China frequently this year, stressed Chinese companies' critical role in the global technology ecosystem. "China is one of the few regions in the world with deep expertise in deep tech and computer science," he said. "The architecture and algorithms used to serve such a large population are incredibly sophisticated."

Media personnel follow Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang during the third China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing, July 17, 2025. [Photo courtesy of the CISCE Organizing Committee]

During the expo, Huang repeatedly called China's supply chain "a miracle." He elaborated: "It is the largest complex supply chain, and it's very technical. It's not just labor; it's not just people working. It's deep technology, robotic technology, AI technology, software technology. The definition of a supply chain is connection. It takes many suppliers and providers around the world to connect together in a supply chain. We rely on the global supply chain to build very complicated products."

The Nvidia CEO said critical thinking is fundamental to almost everything humans do. He advised young people to continue learning math, reasoning, logic and computer programming. "Even though you don't have to do it, you should know it," he said.

Huang said nearly every young person should engage with AI as quickly as possible, calling it "the new computer" and describing AI as "the most powerful equalizer for all people."

"Lastly, I'm jealous of the young generation because this is the generation being born right now, who will grow up with their own AI for life. It's like having R2-D2 from 'Star Wars' grow up with you your whole life. To have this AI companion that remembers everything about your whole life and is able to advise you, teach you and guide you throughout your whole life — it's just an amazing idea," he said.