U.S. Used Nvidia Chip Access to Help Secure Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Deal, Sources Say

People involved in the talks said U.S. negotiators used promises of access to Nvidia AI chips to help secure a preliminary peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan last year. According to Odaily, the U.S. also expanded chip purchase approval authority for Armenia’s data center project to encourage its participation in the negotiations. The arrangement was described as one of the clearest examples so far of what U.S. officials have called "chip diplomacy." The article said the Armenia deal was the Trump administration’s first public use of such a tactic to help reach a peace agreement, after previously using AI hardware in talks with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. It also said the agreement further deepened ties between the White House and the world’s largest chipmaker.