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Chip policy push: Nvidia in talks with Trump administration on new B30A design for China; security concerns remain, Beijing flags ‘backdoor’ risk – Times of India
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang said the company is holding talks with the Trump administration over a potential new semiconductor for China, even as Washington maintains tight curbs on advanced chip sales citing national security.During a visit to Taiwan to meet Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC), Nvidia’s key manufacturing partner, Huang was asked about reports of a new “B30A” graphics processing unit (GPU) aimed at Chinese artificial intelligence data centres, AP reported. TSMC is the world’s largest chip maker.“I’m offering a new product to China for … AI data centres, the follow-on to H20,” Huang said. “But that’s not our decision to make. It’s up to, of course, the United States government. And we’re in dialogue with them, but it’s too soon to know.”The B30A would be based on Nvidia’s Blackwell technology and is said to run at about half the speed of the company’s flagship B300 chips. Top-end Nvidia processors remain barred from China under US restrictions that seek to limit Beijing’s access to advanced computing power for military and AI applications.Huang praised the Trump administration for recently clearing the sale of Nvidia’s H20 chips to China, which had been halted in April. Approval was granted with a condition that Nvidia pay a 15% tax to the US government on such sales. Rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) was asked to pay the same levy on exports of its MI380 chips to China.The approval was part of wider trade talks in which Washington and Beijing agreed to scale back some non-tariff measures. China granted additional permits for exports of rare earth magnets to the US, while Washington removed restrictions on chip design software and jet engines. Following Huang’s lobbying efforts, Nvidia was also allowed to resume H20 sales to Chinese customers.Asked about the tax condition, Huang declined to comment directly but said Nvidia valued the chance to sell H20 chips to China. He also rejected suggestions that such sales carried security risks for the US.“We have made very clear and put to rest that H20 has no security backdoors. There are no such things. There never has. And so hopefully the response that we’ve given to the Chinese government will be sufficient,” Huang said. He added that Nvidia was also in talks with Beijing to assure regulators about the product’s integrity.China’s Cyberspace Administration had recently posted a notice online raising what it called “serious security issues” in Nvidia’s chips. Citing US AI experts, it alleged the processors included “mature tracking and location and remote shutdown technologies.” Nvidia was asked to clarify these claims and provide documentation.Huang said the company was surprised by the accusations. “As you know, they requested and urged us to secure licenses for the H20s for some time. And I’ve worked quite hard to help them secure the licenses. And so hopefully this will be resolved,” he said.Reports in Chinese media have suggested authorities were also angered by comments from US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who argued that Washington’s policy was to limit China’s access to cutting-edge chips.“We don’t sell them our best stuff,” Lutnick told CNBC. “Not our second-best stuff. Not even our third best, but I think fourth best is where we’ve come out that we’re cool.”China’s ruling Communist Party has prioritised self-reliance in advanced technology but continues to rely heavily on foreign semiconductor know-how.
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FDA vaccine head will step down in April after string of controversial decisions
The logo for the Food and Drug Administration is seen ahead of a news conference at the Health and Human Services Headquarters in Washington, April 22, 2025.
Nathan Posner | Anadolu | Getty Images
A key U.S. Food and Drug Administration official who oversees vaccines and biotech treatments will step down from the agency following multiple decisions that raised concerns within the industry.
Vinay Prasad, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, will leave the FDA at the end of April, an agency spokesperson confirmed on Friday. It is his second departure from the position: He briefly left the post in July following backlash over his regulatory decisions, and returned only two weeks later in August.
In a post on X, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said the FDA will appoint a successor before Prasad returns next month to the University of California San Francisco, where he taught before taking the FDA position last year. Makary said Prasad “got a tremendous amount accomplished” during his tenure at the agency.
Prasad’s decision to step down comes after criticism of the FDA mounted within the biotech and pharmaceutical industry and among former health officials. In the past year, the agency has denied or discouraged the approval applications of at least eight drugs, according to RTW Investments, after taking issue with data the companies used to support their applications. The FDA also initially refused to review Moderna’s flu shot before it later reversed course.
All of those companies accused the FDA of reversing previous guidance about the evidence they could use to back their applications, sparking criticism within the industry that an unreliable regulatory process could stifle development of drugs for hard-to-treat diseases.
A former FDA official who spoke to CNBC on the condition of anonymity to speak freely on the issue called the reversals the worst kind of regulatory uncertainty because companies say they are being told one thing and then experience another.
In a statement earlier Friday, an FDA spokesperson said there was “no regulatory uncertainty,” adding the agency “makes decisions based on the evidence, but does not make assurances about outcomes.” The spokesperson said the FDA is “conducting rigorous, independent reviews and not rubber-stamping approvals.”
The most recent controversy came after the FDA discouraged UniQure from applying for expedited approval of its experimental treatment for Huntington’s disease.
The agency, which underwent staff cuts and an overhaul under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has faced broader backlash for its drug and vaccine approvals process. Critics have worried the agency could stifle the development of new treatments and risk the safety of patients.
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported Prasad’s departure.
Business
Oil price at two-year high after Qatar minister warns all Gulf production could stop
Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi says oil could hit $150 a barrel if the Iran conflict continues over the coming weeks.
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Govt increases petrol, diesel prices by Rs55 per litre amid Middle East tensions – SUCH TV
The federal government has raised petrol prices by Rs55 per litre as surging global oil prices, fuelled by the US‑Israel war with Iran, put pressure on domestic energy costs.
The announcement was made by Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik in a press conference alongside DPM Ishar Dar and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.
This marks the first weekly review of fuel prices since regional tensions threatened a major share of global energy flows following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Previously, the federal government adjusted petroleum prices on a fortnightly basis.
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