In a recent Wall Street Journal column, Palantir co-founder and chief technology officer Shyam Sankar sharply criticized the remarks of NVIDIA (Nvidia) founder and CEO Jensen Huang, emphasizing that the United States must face up to its heavy dependence on China’s supply chain and market.
NVIDIA, the global leader in artificial intelligence chips, had revenue of US$46.7 billion in the second quarter of fiscal 2025, an annual increase of 56%. However, due to the US-China trade war and export controls, the high-end AI chip H20 cannot be sold in the Chinese market, resulting in an inventory loss of approximately US$4.5 billion. This economic war puts NVIDIA in a dilemma: on the one hand, it relies on China's manufacturing and market, and on the other hand, it must obey the restrictions of the US government.
Huang Renxun once said, "Being labeled a China hawk is not pride, but shame" and advocated that the two countries can establish a relationship of coexistence. Ransankar responded that "the first step for the United States to end its reliance on China is to admit that we have a problem," and warned that continuing to treat China as a "useful idiot" could contribute to the country's self-destruction.
Sankar also pointed out that American companies such as Apple, Tesla, and Intel have invested huge amounts of money in China, making China a global manufacturing center. He emphasized that the United States must rebuild its industrial base and shift to alternative supply chains and markets to ensure national sovereignty and global competitiveness.
At the same time, Palantir CEO Alex Karp also believes that the artificial intelligence competition between the United States and China will determine global hegemony, and the outcome of the entire contest can only be win or lose. This echoes Sankar's call: the United States needs to face reality and actively adjust industrial policies to avoid risks.
Palantir chief takes a jab at Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, says people decrying ‘China hawks’ are useful idiots — ‘The first step to ending our dependence on China is admitting we have a problem’