Three senior Republican lawmakers have requested a closed-door congressional briefing with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang following reports that a Chinese businesswoman with whom he maintained professional ties may have provided sensitive information to Beijing.
The request, announced Nov. 5, comes amid an investigation into whether a Singapore-based Nvidia customer helped China gain access to advanced artificial intelligence chips restricted under U.S. export controls.
Congress demands answers over alleged Chinese intelligence ties
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford sent Huang a letter dated Nov. 4, requesting that he appear before their committees on Nov. 18.
The lawmakers want information about Huang’s interactions with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed International who has been identified in media reports as a suspected Chinese intelligence asset.
The letter also requests information about Nvidia’s security measures against foreign espionage.
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“Recent reports raise significant national security concerns regarding the PRC’s access to sensitive U.S. technology and information,” the lawmakers wrote.
They added that investigating Chinese infiltration of American technology companies remains a priority for their committees.
“It is vital that Congress determines the extent to which U.S. national security has been placed at risk,” the letter stated.
Huang has been asked to confirm his availability or propose an alternative date by Nov. 11. The request is for a briefing, not a subpoena, and does not constitute an accusation of criminal wrongdoing against the Nvidia chief executive.
Investigation focuses on Nvidia customer and restricted AI chips
According to a Nov. 5 Reuters report, American authorities have been investigating Alice Huang and examining whether Megaspeed helped Beijing obtain Nvidia processors that cannot legally be exported to mainland China.
The New York Times reported in October that investigators were examining Huang’s relationship with the Nvidia CEO and allegations that she had passed information to Chinese authorities.
The Wall Street Journal subsequently reported that officials in the United States, Singapore, and Taiwan had raised concerns about Alice Huang’s suspected intelligence activities. The two executives are not related.
Nvidia has rejected suggestions that its chief executive shared sensitive information with the businesswoman.
“Meetings with customers are part of a CEO’s job; Jensen talks with thousands of customer executives every year,” Nvidia said in a statement reported by Axios.
“Our regional cloud customers receive ordinary business information — not sensitive NVIDIA trade secrets — and zero information relevant to national security,” the company added.
Nvidia also told Reuters that it cooperates with U.S. authorities when informed about potentially problematic business relationships.
“We often receive updates from the U.S. government regarding parties and entities of concern and always act accordingly,” the company stated.
Chinese authorities have previously dismissed the espionage allegations as unfounded, while Megaspeed has denied wrongdoing.
The congressional inquiry comes as Washington continues restricting China’s access to advanced American AI processors, particularly Nvidia chips used to train and operate sophisticated artificial intelligence systems.
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