A blow to the Trump administration: the man behind the AI boom leaves the company - NVIDIA CEO resigns

[Washington Current Affairs] The resignation of CEO of US semiconductor giant Nvidia Huang is a major blow to the Trump administration. The world's most advanced semiconductors have greatly contributed to the development of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, boosted U.S. stock prices, and served as a bargaining chip with China. The government's response to the suspicion of espionage has also been criticized.

According to US media, President Trump first met with Huang shortly after he took office in January last year. The company's technology, which could also be of benefit to Chinese companies, was seen as a threat to the administration, and Mr. Trump rapidly became estranged from it.

Mr. Huang negotiated directly with Mr. Trump regarding the export of cutting-edge semiconductors to China. In December of last year, Mr. Huang approached Mr. Trump, and Mr. Trump accepted the proposal five days later. It is also said to have served as a bargaining card for the government, which wants to promote rapprochement with China, and helped restore supplies of rare earths, which had suffered due to China's export restrictions.

In March of this year, Huang, who has been increasing his influence on policy, was appointed as a member of an advisory body on AI policy, and even sat around a round table with the two leaders and their wives at the dinner party during the US-China summit in September.

Meanwhile, within the administration, an investigation into suspicions of espionage involving a woman close to Mr. Huang was progressing. In May, Secretary of State Rubio oversaw the drafting of a memo that was shared with senior administration officials warning U.S. authorities about relationships between agents and women they suspected.

Mr. Rubio is said to have given Mr. Trump an explanation at the time on a flight to China for a summit meeting. However, even after the allegations surfaced, Trump maintained that he did not know about them. It has also been revealed that the administration has postponed export restrictions on companies with female executives.

There is strong opposition in Congress. Republican House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mast and others demanded an explanation from Huang. Senate Democratic leader Schumer also criticized Trump's response, calling it a "dereliction of duty." Democratic Sen. Warren and others on Monday called for records of communications between Huang and Trump to be preserved. On the 12th, Republican House Special Committee on China Chairman Molenaar issued an order stating, ``We must appoint a management team that prioritizes national security.''