Nvidia hires veteran lobbyist Bruce Andrews to head government affairs

By Max A. Cherney

SAN FRANCISCO, June 11 (Reuters) – Nvidia has hired veteran lobbyist Bruce Andrews to head government affairs in Washington, D.C., according to a posting by Andrews on LinkedIn on Thursday after Reuters reported his appointment.

Andrews’ move to the world’s largest company comes as Nvidia attempts to ensure its continued influence in Washington and as its ties to China, where it wants to continue growing, face renewed scrutiny.

Nvidia declined to comment.

Andrews served as chipmaking rival Intel’s government affairs chief under former CEO Pat Gelsinger and was a Commerce Department official during the Obama administration.

“I’m looking forward to helping NVIDIA lead the AI revolution and reach new breakthroughs for America and the world,” Andrews said on LinkedIn.

Nvidia has received licenses from the U.S. to sell its less advanced H200 chips to China.

Reuters reported in May that the U.S. had cleared roughly 10 Chinese companies to buy Nvidia’s H200 artificial intelligence processors, but not a single delivery had been made at the time.

Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang has made the case that it is crucial to sell its hardware to China, or risk non-American companies reaping the benefits.

The company’s most advanced AI chips are restricted by the U.S. for export to China. But Huang said last month that the $200 billion market forecast for its Vera central processor sales includes China.

Andrews will report to Nvidia’s general counsel, Tim Teter. His title will be Chief External Affairs Officer, according to his LinkedIn post.

The veteran lobbyist did not respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Max A. Cherney in San Francisco; Additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Sonali Paul)