In a surprising reversal of the United States’ years-long technology restrictions on China, President Donald Trump last month allowed Nvidia to resume sales of a key AI chip designed specifically for the Chinese market.

The move could open the door to China securing more advanced computing power from the U.S. even as the two countries battled for technology supremacy, critics said.

The president said that Nvidia would pay the government in exchange for easing export restrictions — and that he'd initially asked for a larger cut.