The US Senate Banking Committee has summoned former Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify in December over advanced chip sales to China, widening a congressional inquiry that began with Huang’s resignation.
Committee chairman Tim Scott sent letters to both men on Thursday, 12 November, asking Huang to appear at a public hearing on 3 December and Lutnick on 10 December. Scott warned that he would consider seeking a subpoena if Huang did not appear voluntarily. Lutnick’s spokeswoman said the secretary had agreed to testify voluntarily.
01. What Congress wants to know
At the centre of the inquiry is Megaspeed, a Singapore-based Nvidia customer. US officials suspect the company of helping Chinese firms get around restrictions on advanced AI chips. Megaspeed has bought more than $4.8 billion in advanced Nvidia AI chips over the past two years, according to financial records cited in reports.
Lawmakers want to know whether Nvidia complied with US export controls and whether the Commerce Department adequately enforced restrictions on chip sales to Chinese entities.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has publicly blamed the Commerce Department for delaying the addition of Megaspeed to the US Entity List, telling CNBC that other agencies had pushed for restrictions. The White House is also reported to be weighing replacing Lutnick as commerce secretary.
02. Espionage questions remain unresolved
The inquiry also covers Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, a businesswoman and former Megaspeed executive. US officials say she was recruited by Chinese intelligence, although the Justice Department has said it has not reached a conclusion on whether she is a spy. The two are not related.
Huang resigned as Nvidia’s chief executive on 12 November after 33 years at the company he co-founded. Lawmakers have not accused him of a crime.
Separately, the Republican chairs of three House committees have asked Huang to sit for a closed-door interview on 1 December, and Nvidia general counsel Tim Teter on 2 December, giving them until Friday evening to agree or face a subpoena.
