Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott has asked former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify over national security concerns tied to Nvidia and China.
US Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott has asked former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify before the committee over recent developments at the chipmaker.
Scott said he would consider a subpoena if Huang does not appear voluntarily. "Recent reports raise serious concerns about our national security and the protection of sensitive US technology," Scott wrote on X. "I am requesting that Nvidia ex-CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testify before the Senate Banking Committee." He added: "The American people deserve answers."
Politico reported that Scott asked Huang to testify on December 3 and Lutnick on December 10. Lutnick has agreed to testify, NBC News quoted a Commerce Department spokesman as saying.
Huang resigned from Nvidia after reports of a relationship with a businesswoman named Alice Huang, whom US authorities suspect of spying for China. China denies she is a spy. US Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Thursday that the Justice Department has not yet reached a conclusion on whether she is or not.
Nvidia was investigating reports that Huang had been targeted by a "foreign intelligence effort." Colette Kress, the company's current executive vice president and chief financial officer, has been named as interim CEO.
In an email to Nvidia staff on Sunday, Huang said: "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Huang also had an affair with an Nvidia executive who worked for him.
Lawmakers have criticized Lutnick over the administration's refusal to add dozens of Chinese companies to a key US trade blacklist, and over its oversight of Nvidia's China exports. Two people familiar with the matter told Reuters that the White House was discussing whether to push Lutnick out.
Separately, three House committee chairs told Huang and Nvidia General Counsel Tim Teter to appear for closed-door interviews on December 1 and 2, or face subpoenas. "There are clear national security concerns that need to be addressed immediately," they wrote, Reuters reported.
The requests come amid national security concerns about sensitive US technology and Nvidia's exports of advanced semiconductors to China. China has denied the spying allegations and warned that tightening US regulations on semiconductor exports would threaten the stability of global industry and supply chains.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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