Tainan: Nvidia founder Jensen Huang said Friday that he remains upbeat about the future of artificial intelligence (AI) despite recent concerns over a potential market bubble. Huang, who arrived in Tainan for his fourth trip to Taiwan this year, highlighted the strong demand and real-world applications of AI technology when asked to compare the current boom with the internet frenzy of the late 1990s.

According to Focus Taiwan, Huang addressed the differences between the current AI surge and the dot-com bubble. "This time is very different because during the dot-com most of the fiber in the ground was dark, but this time all of the GPUs in the cloud [are] being used, and so the demand is very, very strong," Huang told reporters at the airport, before visiting a 3-nanometer fab of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), one of Nvidia's closest partners.

Huang emphasized the effectiveness and high demand for AI technology, noting the compute-intensive nature of AI advancements. He acknowledged the global concerns over a possible overvaluation of the AI industry but remained optimistic, stating that the demand is significant and Nvidia is working to keep up with it.

During his brief interaction with the media, Huang reiterated the robust business outlook and momentum of AI technology, consistent with his previous statements at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in South Korea. There, he mentioned that the AI industry has entered a "virtuous cycle."

In addition to declining investor confidence, Huang and Nvidia are navigating geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Washington. Beijing has imposed restrictions on the import of American chips, aiming to bolster its domestic industry. Meanwhile, the United States has prohibited Nvidia from selling its advanced Blackwell chips to China. The deadlock persisted following a recent meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea.

Huang commented on the issue, noting there was "no active discussion" at present. "Currently, we are not planning to ship anything to China," he said, adding that it is up to China to adjust its policy for Nvidia products to re-enter the Chinese market.

Huang is set to wrap up his brief visit to Taiwan by attending TSMC's sports day in Hsinchu County on Saturday before heading back to the U.S.