Nvidia and AMD have agreed to pay the US government 15% of their revenues from semiconductor sales to China in exchange for export licenses, an unprecedented quid pro quo arrangement aimed at solidifying America’s AI business dominance while maintaining trade ties with China.

The agreement between the chipmakers and the U.S. government will allow Nvidia and AMD to obtain export licenses to resume sales to China.

The arrangement crafted by the Trump administration is “unusual,” analysts told CNBC, but underscores the president's transactional nature.