NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's whirlwind visit to Taiwan in late August has fueled intense speculation over its purpose, with some Taiwanese media outlets claiming he carried a message from U.S. President Donald Trump urging Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to share a portion of its China-related revenue with Washington.

The rumors followed recent reports that the Trump administration had allowed U.S. chipmakers such as NVIDIA and AMD to sell certain AI chips to China under a framework requiring 15% of revenue from those sales to be paid to the U.S. government. According to local media, Huang's sudden trip was allegedly intended to pressure TSMC into joining a similar arrangement, ensuring that the supply chain's profits from China were partially shared with Washington.

TSMC swiftly dismissed the reports. The company stated that Huang's visit was made at its invitation to deliver an internal speech at its Hsinchu R&D center, attend a dinner with Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei, and honor founder Morris Chang's birthday. TSMC emphasized that it maintains "smooth and positive communication" with the U.S. government and denied any discussions related to profit sharing.

During the visit, Huang reiterated TSMC's strategic importance to NVIDIA, noting that the chipmaker would face rising demand in the coming months as production ramps up for NVIDIA's new Rubin AI lineup, including six chips tied to the Vera Rubin series. He also expressed gratitude for Washington's approval of export licenses for NVIDIA's China-bound GPUs, while noting Beijing's growing push for domestic alternatives.

Despite TSMC's denial, the speculation underscores the sensitive intersection of U.S. export controls, revenue-sharing proposals, and the evolving dynamics of the China AI chip market. NVIDIA has declined to comment on the rumors.