Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang stepped down from his role leading the artificial intelligence chip giant on Thursday amid congressional pressure and a scandal involving a former executive.
Republicans Press Jensen Huang to Testify Regarding Nvidia Security
- Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill have pressed Jensen Huang to appear for a closed-door interview on Dec. 1 regarding Nvidia chips and security protocols.
- Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott has requested Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify at a public hearing next month.
- Nvidia announced Huang’s resignation on Thursday following disclosures regarding his relationship with Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive suspected of being a Chinese spy.
House and Senate Committees Threaten Subpoenas for Jensen Huang
GOP members of Congress have urged the recently departed Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to provide testimony next month concerning the controversy engulfing the firm.
The chairs of the House Select Committee on China, Foreign Affairs Committee, and Intelligence Committee wrote a letter Thursday asking Huang to appear for a closed-door interview on Dec. 1. They warned that the House Foreign Affairs Committee would move to subpoena him if he fails to agree to their demand by Friday evening.
Recent reports raise serious concerns about our national security and the protection of sensitive U. S. technology. I am requesting that NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testify before the Senate Banking Committee. The American people deserve… pic.twitter.com/Xu1kiNzkhW
The upper chamber also pushed Huang to appear. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, leading the Senate Banking Committee, invited Huang to provide voluntary testimony to the group during the first week of December, while noting that the committee is ready to exercise its subpoena authority should it become necessary. “The American people deserve answers,” Scott wrote on X.
Nvidia, the company behind the chips powering the AI revolution, reported Thursday that Huang had resigned following reports of a romantic involvement with Alice Huang, a previous executive at Megaspeed who is alleged to be a Chinese intelligence operative.
Even with the co-founder’s departure, lawmakers persist in their demands for information regarding Nvidia’s ties to Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data center operator that secured restricted chips prohibited from export to China.
U.S. and Singapore Investigate Megaspeed Chip Smuggling Allegations
Authorities in both the U.S. and Singapore are probing Megaspeed over claims that it illicitly funneled those chips to China, though the company maintains these accusations are false. Shortly before Nvidia publicized Huang’s resignation, Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota remarked on CNBC Thursday morning that he would fully back a subpoena for Huang. A Cramer spokesperson confirmed he would still support subpoenaing the tech founder.
The situation raises questions about the adequacy of federal efforts to block the transfer of Nvidia’s chips to China, as well as the nature of the Trump administration’s ties to Huang.
Scott asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to appear for a public hearing next month. The House Foreign Affairs Committee also sought testimony from Under Secretary of Commerce Jeffrey Kessler, who heads the Bureau of Industry and Security, the department responsible for export oversight.
Some critics argued Lutnick’s Commerce Department should have taken action to prevent Megaspeed from buying chips. The New York Times reported that a Bureau of Industry and Security probe into the firm was halted last year. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana stated on CNN Thursday that he sought testimony from both Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, saying, “This is serious as an aneurysm.”
Committee Discussions and Leadership Responses
Earlier Thursday, House Select Committee on China Chair Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan said that representatives were coordinating with Huang to schedule a meeting. But he added, “If for some reason that were not to happen, all three committees, all three chairs have said we will use our subpoena power.”
Moolenaar and two other chairs—Rep. Brian Mast of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Rep. Rick Crawford of the Intelligence Committee—first asked Huang to appear in a letter sent to the executive last week.
They indicated that the objective of the private session was to review Nvidia’s safeguards against foreign espionage and its dealings with an individual identified as a Chinese intelligence asset. Lawmakers gave Huang a deadline of Wednesday to respond.
Mast and Moolenaar told reporters on Thursday that they received a response. Mast said Huang indicated he is willing to appear. Moolenaar said that Huang’s resignation changes the dynamic surrounding his potential testimony.
“I think right now our goal is to get him in as soon as possible, so that we have a full understanding of the facts and get to the bottom of the truth of this situation,” Moolenaar said.
Congressional Oversight and Executive Reactions
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CBS News that he expects an interest in doing oversight in the Senate. Asked whether he wants Huang to testify, Thune said, “I think that it would make sense because of the, again, the nature of the association and the governments and the national security interests, what we’re talking about here.”
Despite Jensen Huang’s resignation, Congress must demand answers from Mr. Huang and others at Nvidia about how they may have put U. S. national security at risk. The Trump administration must also answer for what it did once it learned about Mr. Huang’s relationship with a…
Democrats will take control of both the House and Senate in January. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Democrats have questions for the Trump administration, too.
“Despite Jensen Huang’s resignation, Congress must demand answers from Mr. Huang and others at Nvidia about how they may have put U.S. national security at risk,” Schumer said on X. “The Trump administration must also answer for what it did once it learned about Mr. Huang’s relationship with a suspected Chinese intelligence asset.”
President Trump, a friend of Huang’s, has downplayed the scandal and said he does not believe Huang knew the Megaspeed executive was a spy. The president said Thursday that Huang had done a fantastic job.
