New York, Jan 21, 2026, 08:51 EST — Premarket
- In premarket trading, NVIDIA (NVDA) inched up 0.17% to $178.38, following a 4.38% drop to $178.07 on Tuesday.
- A U.S. House panel plans to vote on the “AI Overwatch Act,” which would give Congress a chance to review and possibly block export licenses for advanced AI chips.
- According to Bloomberg, CEO Jensen Huang is set to visit China in late January as Nvidia works to regain access to a key market for its H200 chip.
Nvidia shares ticked higher in premarket Wednesday, clawing back some ground after a steep drop the day before. Investors are circling back to a familiar concern: will the company face new political hurdles selling its high-end AI chips in China? (MarketWatch)
This is crucial because Nvidia’s data-center segment now sets the tone for AI investment, with its stock often responding sharply whenever governments shift regulations. Even a shipment delay can quickly impact server manufacturers and cloud service users.
Policy uncertainty is hitting as investors swiftly sell off semiconductor stocks on risk-off days, despite unclear immediate impacts on sales. Headlines are back in play for these trades.
In Washington, the House Foreign Affairs Committee plans to review a bill granting Congress 30 days to assess and possibly block export licenses for advanced AI chips. At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned, “It would be a big mistake to ship these chips.” (Reuters)
Bloomberg News reported that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang intends to visit China in late January, aiming to revive access to a crucial market for the company’s AI chips. Nvidia declined to comment, and Reuters was unable to confirm the report immediately. (Reuters)
Supply-chain players are already sounding alarms over the uncertainty. Taiwan’s Inventec, a server manufacturer that assembles AI systems with Nvidia components, said the fate of Nvidia’s H200 chip in China “appears to be stuck on the China side.” Inventec President Jack Tsai noted: “Basically, the United States is open to it, but at the moment it appears to be stuck on the China side.” (Reuters)
China’s customs officials informed agents last week that the H200 chips cannot enter the country, Reuters reported. It’s unclear if this is a formal ban or just a temporary step. “Beijing is … pushing to see what bigger concessions they can get,” said Reva Goujon, a geopolitical strategist at Rhodium Group. (Reuters)
The backlash in the U.S. has been strong too. Following the Trump administration’s formal approval of H200 sales to China under certain conditions, a Nvidia spokesperson commented: “America should always want its industry to compete for vetted and approved commercial business, supporting real jobs for real Americans.” (Reuters)
Nvidia is trying to bounce back after a tech sell-off on Tuesday that pushed the S&P 500 down 2.06% and the Nasdaq 2.39%. Nvidia ended the day 4.38% lower. Broadcom also took a hit, dropping 5.43%, while Intel bucked the trend with a 3.41% gain. (MarketWatch)
Still, the immediate outlook hinges on policy moves. Should Congress step in to slow, review, or block export licenses—the permits required to send advanced chips overseas—or if China maintains its restrictions, buyers might hold off on orders and producers could be forced to shift their manufacturing plans.
Investors are focused on Wednesday’s committee vote in Washington, along with any new updates on Huang’s late-January China plans. The H200 shipment route stands as the immediate trigger, capable of swinging sentiment in either direction.
