Former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have been asked to testify before the Senate Banking Committee in December over national security concerns tied to Huang's alleged affair with a suspected Chinese intelligence asset.
By Hermes Vector
US lawmakers have summoned former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to testify before Congress in December over national security concerns related to his alleged affair with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy.
Republican Senator Tim Scott, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, sent letters to Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick requesting their testimony in December. Scott wrote on X: "Recent reports raise serious concerns about our national security and the protection of sensitive US technology." He asked Huang to appear voluntarily on December 3 and warned the committee could issue a subpoena to compel his testimony.
Three House of Representatives committees—on intelligence, foreign affairs, and China—have also sent Huang a letter seeking a closed-door interview on December 1, on threat of subpoena.
Huang resigned as CEO on Thursday after 33 years at the company he co-founded. He admitted to being unfaithful to his wife, Lori Huang, after reports of an affair with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed. The two are not related. US intelligence reportedly circulated a memo this spring alleging Alice Huang was an asset of China's Ministry of State Security. Beijing has rejected the allegations.
The New York Times reported a second affair involving Nvidia executive Kimberly Powell, citing video of Huang being affectionate with her.
Nvidia has lost $550bn in stock market value in five days, according to the BBC. CTV News and Times of Israel report the scandal has wiped almost half a trillion dollars off Nvidia's market valuation.
Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress will serve as interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent successor. The board named Harvey Jones, a former chief executive of Synopsys, as chair.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Department of Justice had not yet drawn conclusions about whether Alice Huang was engaged in espionage for Beijing. Singapore said it had barred Alice Huang, a Chinese national, from re-entering the country in February for giving investigators inaccurate information about her role at Megaspeed, though she was not investigated for espionage. Malaysia said it was investigating a subsidiary of Megaspeed International over the possible diversion of advanced AI chips to other countries.
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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