Troubles mount for Jensen Huang? Nvidia CEO summoned by US lawmakers over affair with Chinese ‘spy’ Alice Huang
Three top lawmakers in the House of Representatives from the Republican Party have sent a letter to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang asking him to appear before their committees about a news report that has alleged that he had a close relationship with a Chinese businesswoman who had passed on information to the country's government.
Last month, The New York Times revealed in a report that Alice Huang, a former executive of Singpore-based company Megaspeed, which buys AI chips from Huang's Nvidia, was being investigated by US authorities for allegedly being a Chinese spy. Megaspeed was investigated by the US over suspicions that it was helping China get access to advanced AI chips which are banned from being exported to the country.
As per a letter dated 4 November, Brian Mast, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, John Moolenaar, who leads the China Select Committee and Intelligence Committee Chair Eric Crawford asked the Nvidia CEO to provide them with a closed-door briefing on 18 November about the report that was published in the NYT as well as on Nvidia's "security protocols against foreign adversary espionage."
Quick answers to key questions
•5 QUESTIONS
1
Why did US lawmakers ask Jensen Huang to testify about Alice Huang?⌵Three House committee chairs requested a closed-door briefing after reports alleged that Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive, had ties to Chinese intelligence. They want to assess possible risks to US national security and sensitive technology.
2
What do US lawmakers want to ask Jensen Huang about Nvidia?⌵The lawmakers requested information about Huang’s interactions with Alice Huang and Nvidia’s security protocols against foreign espionage. They said Congress needs to determine whether US national security was put at risk.
3
When was Jensen Huang asked to brief Congress?⌵The letter requested a closed-door briefing on November 18, 2026, at the Rayburn House Office Building. It also said Huang could request another date during a session day of the 119th Congress by November 11.
4
What did Nvidia say about Jensen Huang’s contact with customer executives?⌵Nvidia said Huang speaks with thousands of customer executives each year. It stated that Asian cloud customers receive ordinary business information, not sensitive trade secrets or information tied to US national security.
5
Why are lawmakers concerned about Megaspeed and Nvidia chips?⌵Megaspeed has been investigated over suspicions that it helped China obtain advanced Nvidia chips restricted from export. Lawmakers are examining whether the alleged activity or Huang’s interactions with Alice Huang created national security risks.
"We are writing to request that you appear before our committees for a joint, closed-door briefing on NVIDIA's security protocols against foreign adversary espionage and your interactions with a publicly reported People's Republic of China (PRC) intelligence asset: Megaspeed executive Alice Huang," the three lawmakers said in their letter.
"Recent reports raise significant national security concerns regarding the PRC's access to sensitive U.S. technology and information. The issue of PRC infiltration and access to cutting-edge U.S. technology is core to the investigative work of our three committees this Congress," the latter added, saying that it is vital that the US Congress determines the extent to which US national security were placed at risk.
"We formally request that you appear in room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building on November 18, 2026, to brief our committees," it said, while adding that Huang can also ask for an alternate date during a session day of the 119th Congress by November 11, 2026.
Reuters reports that while Nvidia has not officially commented on the letter, they have said that Huang talks with "thousands of customer executives every year," and stressed that cloud customers based out of Asia receive ordinary business information, not sensitive trade secrets of the company or information tied to the US' national security.
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