The $5 Billion Dilemma: Will Nvidia and Chip Stocks Crumble Under U.S.-China Trade Tensions?

Semiconductor stocks are under pressure as U.S.-China trade tensions escalate. Nvidia, with 13% of its revenue tied to China, faces a $17 billion risk due to strict U.S. export controls.

Introduction

The semiconductor industry, led by giants like Nvidia, AMD, and Intel, is facing its biggest Chip Stocks Crumble yet—rising U.S.-China tensions and strict export controls. With billions of dollars at stake, investors are bracing for potential losses as Washington tightens restrictions on AI chip sales to Beijing.

With China contributing over $17 billion to Nvidia’s revenue in fiscal 2025, new regulations could hit these chipmakers hard. But how severe is the impact? Could Nvidia and other chip stocks suffer multi-billion-dollar losses? Let’s break down the numbers.

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Key takeaways

Nvidia could be the hardest hit, as its China business accounts for $17 billion, with $12 billion from data centers.

AMD and Intel have $8 billion and $10 billion at stake, respectively.

Stock prices have already reacted negatively, with Nvidia dropping the most at 6%.

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Chip Stocks Take a Hit Amid Geopolitical Uncertainty

On March 26, 2025, semiconductor stocks fell sharply as the U.S. announced new export bans on AI chips to China. Nvidia dropped 6%, AMD declined 4%, and Intel slipped 3%.

The trigger? The Trump administration blacklisted 80 Chinese companies, including Inspur, a top server manufacturer and one of Nvidia’s largest Chinese customers.

These restrictions come at a crucial time when China has been the largest consumer of AI chips, heavily relying on U.S. companies for advanced semiconductors.

With trade barriers tightening, chipmakers could face multi-billion-dollar losses in revenue.

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How Much of Their Business Is at Risk?

For a clearer picture, here’s a breakdown of China’s contribution to major semiconductor companies in fiscal 2025:

CompanyChina Revenue (Fiscal 2025)Data-Center Revenue from China% of Total Revenue from ChinaStock Impact (March 2025)
Nvidia$17 billion$12 billion13%-6%
AMD$8 billion$5 billion9%-4%
Intel$10 billion$6 billion11%-3%

From the table, it’s clear that Nvidia has the highest exposure, with 13% of its total revenue coming from China. Intel and AMD are also at risk, but to a slightly lesser degree

U.S. Export Controls: A Game Changer for the Industry

To counter China’s AI development, the U.S. has tightened restrictions on AI chip exports, affecting advanced semiconductors like Nvidia’s H100 and A100 GPUs. These chips are essential for AI training and data centers, making them highly valuable to Chinese firms.

The Biden administration’s AI diffusion rules—set to take effect in May 2025—will further restrict AI chip sales and software licensing to Chinese companies. This raises three major concerns for chipmakers:

  1. Loss of Market Share – China may shift to local alternatives like Huawei and SMIC, reducing reliance on U.S. chips.
  2. Revenue Decline – Nvidia, AMD, and Intel could see billions in lost sales if Chinese firms can’t buy high-performance AI chips.
  3. Supply Chain Disruptions – If Chinese companies retaliate with bans on U.S. tech, supply chain costs could rise.

These export restrictions could shrink Nvidia’s China business by 40%, slashing $6-7 billion from its annual revenue, according to analysts.


Nvidia’s Biggest Challenge: A Shrinking China Market

For Nvidia, China has been a goldmine for AI and data-center chips. However, with mounting restrictions, analysts predict that the company could lose up to 50% of its Chinese market share by 2026.

According to Bernstein Research, Nvidia’s earnings per share (EPS) could decline by 5% if China’s contribution to its revenue shrinks further. Despite these concerns, Nvidia is still trying to navigate the challenges by modifying its chips to comply with U.S. rules.

But will that be enough?

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Looking Ahead: Will Semiconductor Stocks Recover?

The semiconductor sector faces significant uncertainty in the coming months. With more U.S. sanctions on the horizon and China exploring domestic chip alternatives, the industry may be heading for a slowdown.

However, opportunities still exist:

  • Nvidia and AMD are expanding into India and Southeast Asia to offset losses.
  • The U.S. CHIPS Act is fueling domestic production, helping companies reduce reliance on China.
  • AI demand remains strong, meaning chipmakers could still grow despite trade restrictions.

For investors, the message is clear: Expect volatility but long-term AI growth could still drive gains in the sector.

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Conclusion: The $5 Billion Gamble

With tighter U.S. export rules, Nvidia, AMD, and Intel could lose billions in revenue, with Nvidia alone facing $17 billion at risk due to its China exposure. As the U.S.-China tech war escalates, chip Nvidia stocks may continue to fall before stabilizing.

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Kumar Priyadarshi
Kumar Priyadarshi

Kumar Joined IISER Pune after qualifying IIT-JEE in 2012. In his 5th year, he travelled to Singapore for his master’s thesis which yielded a Research Paper in ACS Nano. Kumar Joined Global Foundries as a process Engineer in Singapore working at 40 nm Process node. Working as a scientist at IIT Bombay as Senior Scientist, Kumar Led the team which built India’s 1st Memory Chip with Semiconductor Lab (SCL).

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