Former boss Huang also summoned: US Senate wants to talk to Commerce Minister about Nvidia

Nvidia founder Huang has lost his position at the top of the company. But his affair with a suspected Chinese spy could not only cost him his job. The US Congress is now interested in possible failures by Commerce Secretary Lutnick.

The US Senate Banking Committee has summoned former CEO Jensen Huang and US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to a hearing in the espionage scandal involving US chip company Nvidia. The committee chairman, Tim Scott, now threatened Huang with a compulsory subpoena if he did not testify voluntarily. “Recent reports raise serious concerns about our national security and the protection of sensitive U.S. technology,” Scott wrote on X.

At the same time, the chairmen of three House committees called on Huang and Nvidia general counsel Tim Teter to appear in closed hearings on December 1st and 2nd. Otherwise there would be a risk of compulsory summonses.

US President Donald Trump also joined the debate. According to a report in the New York Times, he called Huang on Tuesday and urged him to fight for his job. In a podcast interview, Trump made his stance dependent on the ongoing investigation: "The big question is, was the woman a spy? And I don't know if that's already been clarified. But if the woman was a spy, yes. If the woman wasn't a spy, maybe it would look different." US Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed that the FBI was reviewing the reports. However, the ministry has not yet come to a conclusion as to whether Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang was actually spying for the government in Beijing.

Congress talks about export restrictions

Meanwhile, a bipartisan majority is forming in Congress for stricter export controls of state-of-the-art AI chips to China. According to House of Representatives Chairman Mike Johnson, export controls on chips to China are a big issue right now. He supports restricting the People's Republic's access. Republicans are seeking to tie new export restrictions on AI chips to the annual defense budget.

At least four bills on chip exports have also gained momentum since Monday. Fearing such restrictions, Chinese AI companies are trying to rent foreign computing capacity with Nvidia chips. The Senate's subpoena also puts US Commerce Secretary Lutnick in a difficult position. According to insiders, senior government officials are discussing in the White House whether the minister should be pressured to resign. He is accused of failing to put dozens of Chinese companies on a key trade blacklist and failing to adequately monitor Nvidia exports to China. The House of Representatives, along with the Senate, is also trying to get Huang to testify before November 26th.

Nvidia boss Jensen Huang resigned from his position yesterday after reports of a romantic relationship with Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang became public. Jensen Huang himself admitted the affair on November 8th. The US authorities suspect the businesswoman of spying for the Chinese government. She worked as an executive at Megaspeed, an Nvidia partner company that the US government believes helped China procure AI chips. The government in Beijing rejects the espionage allegations.

According to insiders, the liaison with the alleged spy was not Huang's only extramarital affair. He is also said to have had an intimate relationship with a top Nvidia executive. Recently there were reports of an affair with another employee.