Amid mounting security concerns, senior U.S. Congress members briefed on Nvidia CEO espionage controversy
Lawmakers briefed on Nvidia affair as security concerns mount
The Trump administration briefed bipartisan congressional leaders and intelligence committee leaders on the national security crisis triggered by Nvidia, after CEO Jensen Huang admitted on Sunday to an extramarital affair with Alice Huang, whom the U.S. has identified as a Chinese intelligence officer. Republican lawmakers have formally demanded that Huang appear before the House on November 18 to explain the situation, and House Democratic Leader Jeffries said he would call for strengthened chip export controls. Nvidia's board announced the launch of an independent investigation, saying there is no reason to believe that national security or company secrets have been leaked; the company's stock fell more than 4% on Monday. According to The New York Times, Secretary of State Rubio had raised concerns within the government that Huang might be compromised, and Trump reportedly knew but took no action. U.S. intelligence uncovered the intelligence operation after intercepting communications of Alice Huang; she previously worked as a reporter for Chinese state media and later became an executive at Singapore data center company Megaspeed International, which is alleged to have previously transshipped restricted AI chips to Beijing.
Jensen Huang, a long-time opponent of chip export controls, faces congressional demands for questioning over this incident, and Democratic leaders have stated they will push for stricter chip controls.