NVIDIA Chief Executive Jensen Huang pressed G20 leaders on Wednesday to expedite artificial intelligence infrastructure development, cautioning that excessive AI regulation would leave nations trailing behind. The Trump administration used the summit platform to pitch a light-touch AI governance framework to participating countries.
Speaking at the G20 technology summit, Huang stated that NVIDIA would invest "nearly $1 trillion into US infrastructure this year alone," citing America's regulatory environment and energy policies as key drivers. He compared AI to essential public utilities such as water and electricity, calling it "the great equalizer" and emphasizing that "every country needs to build the infrastructure to support its own economy."
The statement carries major implications for financial markets. NVIDIA projected last week that next fiscal year's revenue growth would reach 70%, triggering the stock's largest one-day gain since April 2025. Huang's bullish remarks at the summit further reinforced market expectations of sustained global AI capital expenditure expansion. As of writing, NVIDIA shares were up more than 4% in Wednesday trading.
Light-Touch Regulation Framework Takes Center Stage at Trump-Led Summit
Hosted by the United States, the summit saw Trump administration officials actively promoting G20 adoption of the "Carolina Principles," a set of AI governance guidelines. The document reportedly cautions countries against establishing separate regulatory bodies for AI, instead advocating closer collaboration between governments and private enterprises to jointly test emerging technologies.
During a dialogue with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Huang further elaborated his regulatory stance. He argued that governments should regulate "actual and specific harms" rather than "theoretical and hypothetical ones," emphasizing that product safety responsibilities should rest with corporations rather than government officials. "The technology is still in its formative stages," Huang said. "Every company must consciously take responsibility for developing technology safely."
He also warned that the "worst outcome" for any nation would be getting "left behind," urging the public and policymakers not to let fear of AI dominate the discourse, but rather to focus on AI's role in driving economic prosperity.
Tech Leaders Unite in Call for Unrestricted AI Growth, Data Centers Become Central Topic
Multiple technology executives voiced collective support for unhindered AI development at the two-day summit. SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk appeared Tuesday, accusing the EU's "extremely high" regulatory standards of stifling growth and calling for a hands-off approach to emerging industries.
Even Anthropic co-founder Tom Brown, known for championing AI safety guardrails, emphasized the importance of accelerating global data center construction during his conversation with Howard Lutnick. Brown told G20 delegates that nations could reap AI dividends simply by removing obstacles to technology infrastructure development. He said he "really liked" President Trump's social media post earlier this week endorsing data center projects, describing it as a source of prosperity. "This is clearly the bottleneck for all of our progress," Brown said. "We're facing severe electricity and labor shortages that prevent us from meeting AI demand."