By ELAINE KURTENBACH, Associated Press Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said Friday that the company is discussing a potential new computer chip designed for China with the Trump administration.

Huang was asked about a possible “B30A” semiconductor for artificial intelligence data centers for China while on a visit to Taiwan, where he was meeting Nvidia’s key manufacturing partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., the world’s largest chip maker.

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“I’m offering a new product to China for … AI data centers, the follow-on to H20,” Huang said. But he added that “That’s not our decision to make. It’s up to, of course, the United States government. And we’re in dialogue with them, but it’s too soon to know.”

Such chips are graphics processing units, or GPUs, a type of device used to build and update a range of AI systems. But they are less powerful than Nvidia’s top semiconductors today, which cannot be sold to China due to U.S. national security restrictions.

The B30A, based on California-based Nvidia’s specialized Blackwell technology, is reported to operate at about half the speed of Nvidia’s main B300 chips.

Huang praised the the Trump administration for recently approving sales of Nvidia’s H20 chips to China after such business was suspended in April, with the proviso that the company must pay a 15% tax to the U.S. government on those sales. Chip maker Advanced Micro Devices, or AMD, was told to pay the same tax on its sales of its MI380 chips to China.

As part of broader trade talks, Beijing and Washington recently agreed to pull back some non-tariff restrictions. China approved more permits for rare earth magnets to be exported to the U.S., while Washington lifted curbs on chip design software and jet engines. After lobbying by Huang, it also allowed sales of the H20 chips to go through.

Huang did not comment directly on the tax when asked but said Nvidia appreciated being able to sell H20s to China.

He said such sales pose no security risk for the United States. Nvidia is also speaking with Beijing to reassure Chinese authorities that those chips do not pose a “backdoor” security risk, Huang said.

“We have made very clear and put to rest that H20 has no security backdoors. There are no such things. There never has. And so hopefully the response that we’ve given to the Chinese government will be sufficient,” he said.

The Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet watchdog, recently posted a notice on its website referring to alleged “serious security issues” with Nvidia’s computer chips.

It said U.S. experts on AI had said such chips have “mature tracking and location and remote shutdown technologies” and Nvidia had been asked to explain any such risks and provide documentation about the issue.

Huang said Nvidia was surprised by the accusation and was discussing the issue with Beijing.

“As you know, they requested and urged us to secure licenses for the H20s for some time. And I’ve worked quite hard to help them secure the licenses. And so hopefully this will be resolved,” Huang said.

Unconfirmed reports said Chinese authorities were also unhappy over comments by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggesting the U.S. was only selling outdated chips to China.

Speaking on CNBC, Lutnick said the U.S. strategy was to keep China reliant on American chip technology.

“We don’t sell them our best stuff,” he said. “Not our second best stuff. Not even our third best, but I think fourth best is where we’ve come out that we’re cool,” he said.

China’s ruling Communist Party has made self-reliance in advanced technology a strategic priority, though it still relies on foreign semiconductor knowhow for much of what it produces.

AP Videojournalist Taijing Wu in Taipei contributed to this report.

By JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran said Friday its foreign minister spoke by phone with his French, German and British counterparts to avoid the reimposition of U.N. sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program, just days ahead of a European deadline.

The call by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi came as the three countries threatened to invoke the “snapback” provision of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal by month’s end, allowing any party to reimpose sanctions if they find Iran out of compliance with requirements such as international monitoring of its nuclear program.

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The Europeans’ concern over the Iranian program, which had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels before the 12-day Iran-Israel war in June saw its atomic sites bombed, has only grown since Tehran cut off all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency in the conflict’s wake. That has left the international community further blinded to Iran’s program — as well as the status of its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a short, technical step to weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Iran has long insisted its program is peaceful, though it is the only non-nuclear-armed nation enriching uranium at that level. The U.S., the IAEA and others say Iran had a nuclear weapons program up until 2003.

After the call, a statement released on Araghchi’s behalf via Telegram said he criticized the countries’ “legal and moral qualifications” to threaten to reinstate the sanctions, but insisted talks would continue.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, just as it acts authoritatively in self defense, has never abandoned the path of diplomacy and is ready for any diplomatic solution that guarantees the rights and interests of the Iranian people,” the statement said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed on the social platform X that the talks took place, and said another round of discussions would happen next week.

“We have just made an important call to our Iranian counterpart regarding the nuclear program and the sanctions against Iran that we are preparing to reapply,” he said. “Time is running out.”

That was echoed by Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who said “time is very short.”

“Iran needs to engage substantively in order to avoid the activation of snapback,” he wrote on X. “We have been clear that we will not let the snapback of sanctions expire unless there is a verifiable and durable deal.”

European letter set deadline

In a letter Aug. 8, the three European nations warned Iran it would proceed with “snapback” if Tehran didn’t reach a “satisfactory solution” to the nuclear issues. That deadline would be Aug. 31, in nine days, leaving little time for Iran to likely reach any agreement with the Europeans, who have grown increasingly skeptical of Iran over years of inconclusive negotiations over its nuclear program.

Restoring the IAEA’s access is a key part of the talks. Iran has blamed the war with Israel in part on the IAEA, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, without offering any evidence. The IAEA issues quarterly reports on Iran’s program and the 2015 deal gave the agency greater access to keep track of it. Its Board of Governors voted to find Iran out of compliance with its obligations to the agency the day before the Iran-Israel war began.

Iran has also threatened its director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, with arrest if he comes to Iran, further complicating talks. Grossi is considering running to become the U.N.’s secretary-general, something Tehran has seized on as well in its criticisms of the Argentine diplomat.

Alongside the European call with Iran, IAEA officials in Vienna were to meet with Iranian officials, a diplomat close to the agency told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door meeting. Those talks would be a continuation of a discussion held during an Aug. 11 visit to Tehran by Massimo Aparo, a deputy to Grossi, the diplomat added. Iranian state television also acknowledged the meeting would happen.

Iran tries to downplay ‘snapback’ threat

Araghchi has sought to downplay the threat that “snapback” poses. In his statement after the call, he said Iran would discuss the “snapback” threat with its friends, likely meaning China and Russia.

The “snapback” power in the nuclear accord expires in October, also putting pressure on the Europeans to potentially use it as leverage with Iran before losing that ability.

Under “snapback,” any party to the deal can find Iran in noncompliance, reimposing the sanctions. After it expires, any sanctions effort could face a veto from U.N. Security Council members China and Russia, two nations that have provided some support to Iran in the past but stayed out of the June war.

Associated Press writers Stephanie Liechtenstein in Vienna, Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

The white-washed Moorish-style oceanfront villas at Maui’s Fairmont Kea Lani are perched just above Polo Beach, a beautiful arc-shaped cove in south Maui’s Wailea resort region. There are 37 of these deluxe abodes, each wrapped in magenta-hued bougainvillea and framed by flowering plumeria trees. It’s a dreamy scene, like a seaside utopian neighborhood that doesn’t feel quite real.

In fact, these island villas are a real life fantasy, worthy of an over-the-top romantic splurge with someone special, an unforgettable trip with the kids, a special escape with friends, or a once-in-a-lifetime large family gathering. And the Fairmont is just one of a select few five-star luxury resorts in Hawaii that offer a variety of amenity-packed oceanfront villas and bungalows just steps from the sea, sand and shore.

Step inside these two, three and four-bedroom villas and you enter sanctuaries of tastefully designed rooms adorned with island-themed art, supremely comfy sofas and beds crafted from tropical wood, luxurious showers and tubs, big screen TVs, and the latest kitchen appliances. The villa’s oceanside lanais, some equipped with their own plunge pool, are perfect perches to grill it up, connect with nature, enjoy island breezes, and, of course, and to soak in spectacular Pacific Ocean sunsets. Better yet, in winter months, many of these villas are ideal for watching Hawaii’s spectacular annual gray whale migration just offshore, with binoculars included at some.

The bedroom in a Wailea Beach resort oceanfront villa. (Photo by Ben Davidson)

Ready for an over-the-top Hawaiian oceanfront villa or bungalow splurge? A tropical retreat without equal? Here are some of my top choices at Hawaii’s leading resorts plus a few recommendation for villas and bungalows outside the resorts that offer much of the luxury, escape and easy access to the beach as those found in the resorts.

Maui

While you won’t find bungalows suspended over ocean water like those in Tahiti, Fiji or the Maldives, south Maui’s Wailea region offers a sumptuous collection of two, three and four-bedroom oceanfront villas at three resorts: the Fairmont Kea Lani, Andaz Maui and Wailea Beach resorts.

Oceanfront villas at the Fairmont Kea Lani. (Photo by Ben Davidson)

The Fairmont Kea Lani has 30 two-story villas to supplement their luxurious 413 one-bedroom suites. Each villa spans 1,800-2,200 square feet. Twenty-one are oceanfront while the other 16 are ocean view.

Oceanfront villas are shown at the Fairmont Kea Lani. (Photo by Ben Davidson)

The Kea Lani’s two and and three-bedroom villas are just feet from the ocean and the swaying palms of Polo Beach. Units include fully equipped kitchens with dining areas,  master bedrooms featuring spacious en-suites, marble-lined bathrooms with deep soaking tubs and walk-in showers. Private courtyards with plunge pools are ideal for sipping mai tais, taking in the sunsets over the Pacific or barbecuing for the family.

A bathroom at oceanfront villas at the Fairmont Kea Lani. (Photo by Ben Davidson)

Guests are welcomed to the villa experience with a delightful basket filled with tropical fruit, Hawaiian jams, freshly baked banana bread, cream, milk, butter and snacks. Chilled waters and tropical juices are refreshed in the villas daily. Better yet, villa guests enjoy an expansive, complimentary buffet breakfast daily at Kea Lani Restaurant. Details: fairmont-kea-lani.com/stay/villas

The sunset is visible from the beach path in Wailea on Maui. (Photo by Ben Davidson)

The Wailea Beach Resort (Marriott) has four new oceanfront villas with one- to four-bedroom configurations to complement their exquisite Sundeck rooms, some of which provide immediate access to the shore. The villas feature gourmet kitchens equipped with state of the art appliances, along with dining seating for four adjacent to the island counter, allowing for private chef demonstrations or entertaining guests. Spa-like bathrooms include a standalone soaking tub and spacious showers. Details: waileabeachresort.com

A bathroom in a Wailea Beach resort oceanfront villa. (Photo by Ben Davidson)

Andaz Maui’s contemporary, residential-style villas offer two-, three- and four-bedroom configurations and draw their inspiration from the island’s natural beauty. The premier Makai oceanfront villas are just steps away from Mōkapu Beach while the Hema and ‘Ilikai villas are perched at the top and sides of the main resort allowing for quintessential ocean views.

The view from the lanai of a villa at Andaz Maui. (Photo by Ben Davidson

Each includes a full kitchen with high-end Bosch and Miele appliances, private laundry room, marble floors and modern furnishings that truly elevate the villa experience. The private lanais feature custom-made outdoor lounges, dining tables, chairs, and Viking grills. Select villas offer a private plunge pool or hot tub. Details: villasatandazmaui.com

On West Maui’s Ka’anapali shore, the Royal Lahaina Bungalows offers several oceanfront bungalows. Although more modest than other Maui luxury resorts, you’ll still find easy beach access and comfortable, well-appointed bungalows such as the 1,200-foot Royal Beach House Suite, which sleeps 6 and has a private lanai, pool, hot tub, and gated beach access. Details: royallahaina.com

Oahu

A rainbow appears above Kawela Bay in this view from the Ritz-Carlton Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu. (Photo by Ben Davidson)

On Oahu’s famed North Shore, the Ritz Carlton, Oahu, Turtle Bay’s Ocean Bungalows offer luxurious North Shore escapes right on the ocean. Some 42 waterfront bungalows are set alongside the resort and offer a blend of indulgence and serenity. Each includes access to the exclusive Club Lounge (a private space in the main resort), dedicated concierge service, premium all-day food and beverage offerings, and complementary included resort activities. Details: www.turtlebayresort.com

The Big Island

The Four Seasons Hualalai has three oceanfront villas, the Hawaii Loa Presidental Villa, Makaloa Villa and Ho’onanea Villa, each with private pools and spacious balconies or terraces. Details: fourseasons.com/hualalai

Just steps from the beach, the Mauna Lani’s Residence collection offers villas with two master suites and 2.5 bathrooms. Tailored to large parties, these expansive private homes sleep up to six. Begin your morning with a stroll up the coast, then return to your private pool for a soak and sunset session before dinner reservations at one of five distinct dining outlets in the resort. Details: aubergeresorts.com/maunalani/vacation-homes/residences

Beyond the resorts

Looking for villas and bungalows outside the resorts? Hawaii abounds in luxury beachfront villas, bungalows and condominium-style accommodations, some with privileges at nearby resorts.

Oahu: Ke Iki Beach Bungalows on the famed North Shore. Located on one of the top beaches on Oahu’s North Shore, these bungalows offer simplicity, sunsets and solace. Check out the  complimentary yoga classes held beneath two 100-year-old monkey pod trees.Details: keikibeach.com

The Big Island: A wide variety of spectacular private oceanfront and oceanview villas in the Mauna Kea, Mauna Lani, Hualalai and Kohala Coast resort regions. Details: bigislandvillas.com

Kauai: The ground level, two-bedroom condominium suites at Hanalei Colony Resort offer sweeping views of Hanalei Bay and Kauai’s lush mountains and are set in traditional low-rise plantation-style buildings. The sand is just steps away. Details: hcr.com

Kauai: The lawn level condos at Whaler’s Cove in Poipu, offer unique, sweeping views interrupted only by swaying coconut palms. The resort’s curved oceanfront architecture makes it feel like you are on a cruise ship, hovering above a panoramic ocean view. Details: whalerscoveresort.com

Maui: Wailea Elua Village on Maui’s south Shore has luxurious on-three bedroom oceanfront condos among their collection. Oceanfront units are just steps from pristine Ulua Beach and the Wailea resort’s wonderful shoreline walking path. Details: coraltreeresidencecollection.com/wailea-elua-village

Maui: Kapalua Bay Villas has deluxe one and two-bedroom villas perched on sunny, secluded Kapaula Bay, far from the hoi polloi. Details: hawaiivacationcondos.outrigger.com/hawaii/maui/the-kapalua-villas-maui

By Alan Behr, Tribune News Service

The sun drifted teasingly toward the Norwegian Sea, an amber ball suspended as if from a string. It touched down gently on a low peninsula as the Richard With turned to starboard. The finger of land threatened to obstruct the view from those of us standing on a high deck astern, but we checked by our watches: For the second time on our cruise north along Norway’s western coast, we had viewed the sun at midnight. Nods and words of agreement rose in Norwegian, English and other languages.

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Best sailing destinations in the US

Here was another bonus for having taken this trip not long after the summer solstice. My primary purpose was to sail the fjords — the long, glacier-formed inlets that jut into Norway’s expansive western coastline. Along the route north, the fjords shelter harbor towns over which verdant mountains rise like castle walls. In front of many, a modest lighthouse stands sentry.

You can tour the fjords by road, but for me, that would be like visiting Paris by helicopter; the point of Paris is to walk it and to feel it, and the point of the fjord communities is to steam into them and to come to know them by sea and by land.

I had boarded my ship, the MS Richard With of the Hurtigruten line, in Bergen, an old trading city with a famous harbor-front row of historic, wood-framed merchant houses. I had wisely allowed myself an overnight at a new and luxurious hotel, the Skostredet, to better manage jet lag and also to treat myself to a funicular ride up the nearby Mount Floyen for dinner at the gourmet Floirestauranten. There, I had checked my backpack for my essentials: a 1961 Leica 280mm telephoto lens retrofitted to a contemporary Leica M11 digital camera; binoculars from the same German source; and a very particular flag, carefully unwrapped around its pole.

The MS Richard With steaming through the fjords of Norway. (Alan Behr/TNS/TNS)

By dinnertime the next day, I was aboard my ship and was underway.

Two years earlier, in Oslo, I had struggled to find things that were uniquely Norwegian, so cosmopolitan and diverse had the nation’s capital become. Hurtigruten’s six-night Northern Express would now give me the chance to see Norway among Norwegians. That is in good part because, like others in the line’s fleet, the Richard With is a cruise ship with all the amenities and comforts that the idea of cruising implies, but it is also a ferry, taking locals to ports of call up and down the coastline. At mealtimes, and on shore excursions, I had the chance to get to meet couples and families who were just passing through, to and from homes nearby. All the while, however, I kept secret my purpose for having chosen this northbound route and why the flag furled inside my backpack was part of my visit.

Excursions by bus helped me understand the experience of living and working by the sea, and it was good to walk into towns and along the countryside through which the fjords pushed seawater so imposingly inland. But the biggest thrill came when a group of us donned protective suits in the port of Bode and boarded a flotilla of rigid inflatable boats. Our captain and guide was a solid, agreeable young woman who looked to have lived and worked before the mast since childhood. She steered us up the Salstraumen, a small strait that quickly led us into one of the world’s strongest tidal currents.

Our boat pitched and rocked, our motor seeming at times to wrestle with the strait for control of our destiny as we poured in at high speed under a gray dome of unmoving cloud. We slowed to a swimmer’s pace, and around us seagulls climbed and then dove onto broad whirlpools — the maelstroms — famous vortices of such mythical strength that writers from Edgar Allen Poe to Jules Verne promised that to sail as close to any as we did was to risk being sucked into the depths. Our faces and goggles were now sprayed with water; it was a rugged, yet somehow ethereal thrill — rather as if consciousness had intruded itself upon a darkening dream just enough to offer peace.

Not long after, aboard the Richard With, we celebrated our crossing of the Arctic Circle. When my father had crossed the equator in service with the United States Army in World War II, he had been subjected to an elaborate (and rather rude) initiation ceremony — and got a certificate that I still have. Here was I, decades later, welcomed into my own geographic rite of passage by our ship’s captain, who poured ladles of ice down my back to the cheers of fellow passengers. And I got a certificate. That evening, we welcomed the midnight sun.

71°10’21”N: Our largest excursion group of the trip arrived at the North Cape, the northernmost point on the European continental landmass. A pedestal-mounted skeletal globe marks the spot. I took turns with a father-son team from Poland, snapping each other’s pictures beside the landmark.

We returned to the Richard With and steamed eastward through the Barents Sea. Nearly 1,000 feet below us lay the mangled wreck of the German battle cruiser Scharnhorst — sunk by the Royal Navy on Boxing Day (Dec. 26), 1943. Our final meal aboard ship was dinner, served to me quietly by my waiter as I enjoyed my final view of the sea from my table just below prow-facing picture windows.

We disembarking passengers left early the next morning, along with our luggage, for Kirkenes, population 3,400. The town, which lies on Norway’s short eastern border with Russia, is supported by two notable sources of trade: tourism and espionage. It enjoys an international reputation as a quiet and inviting den of spies, with Russian agents trying to keep an eye on NATO, and with the West appropriately returning the favor.

During the Second World War, when Norway was occupied by the Germans, the Soviet Union bombed the town often; appropriately, the first stop on our tour was the large, dark and cold bunker that could house a good portion of the population during raids.

Then we came at last to the border crossing with Russia. The fjords had topped my European bucket list for years along with one other destination: St. Petersburg.

Scruples now prevent me from visiting what had been Leningrad and that, for all I know, will soon be called Putingrad, so this could well be as close as I will ever get. To remind myself and anyone else who cared to notice why I would not cross the border, from my backpack I withdrew and gently unfurled the flag I had so carefully packed: the blue and yellow national banner of Ukraine. I gave it a good wave in case any Russian border guard was looking and then, with the help of another passenger, planted it in the ground just below the last meters of Norwegian territory.

I spent the night in the Snowhotel, an ice hotel of the kind where you literally can sleep in a large igloo. And, I chose a conventional, comfortable cabin instead, heated to room temperature. After helping to feed the hotel’s resident reindeer, I then flew back to Oslo.

Snowhotel Kirkenes, guest room for igloo-style accommodations. (Alan Behr/TNS/TNS)

There, I returned to the Munch Museum, where the works of Norway’s famously gloomy (and brilliant) artist Edvard Munch, are on permanent display. On this occasion, however, there was a large temporary exhibition on the themes of illness, injury and death — which is about as an appropriate Munch experience as a curator can offer.

It all seemed to fit, oddly enough. From the fjords, with their majesty, maelstroms, reindeer and tales (and numerous statues) of trolls, to the modern interruption of good daily life brought on by Russia’s merciless war, to the brooding, humanizing power of great Nordic art. I had finally done what I had set out to do two years before: I had seen and at last got an authentic understanding of this austere and yet graceful nation

If you go

At sea: Hurtigruten. The line operates the MS Richard With and similar ships, all to a fine standard. +1-888-969-8297; www.hurtigruten.com/en-us/; reservations@hurtigruten.com. Tip: Book as many shore excursions as you have time to enjoy.

In Bergen: Skostredet Hotel.  Domkirkegaten 6, 5017 Bergen, Norway; +47-55-30-40-50; booking@skostredethotel.no.

In Kirkenes: Snowhotel Kirkenes. Sandnesdalen 14, 9910 Bjørnevatn Tromsog Finnmark, Norway; +47-78-97-05-40; info@snowhotelkirkenes.com

Caution: Beware that third-party reservation services have tarted themselves up to look like they offer the official sites of these and other Norwegian hotels; they are not, and they may charge excessive additional fees.

©2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.