Top Republican lawmakers have formally requested that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang appear before Congress to address national security concerns regarding his interactions with a Chinese intelligence asset. Representatives from the House committees on China, foreign affairs, and intelligence sent a joint letter to Huang this week, asking him to participate in a closed-door briefing scheduled for November 18.
The summons follows reporting by The New York Times, which stated that US intelligence officials believe Huang was the target of a Chinese spying operation. The allegations center on Alice Huang, a Chinese national who serves as an executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based cloud computing firm. Megaspeed has purchased billions of dollars worth of Nvidia chips, making it a significant customer for the semiconductor giant.
Lawmakers Demand Security Protocols Review
Representatives John Moolenaar, Brian Mast, and Rick Crawford wrote that recent reports raise significant national security concerns about the People’s Republic of China’s access to sensitive US technology. They emphasized that preventing infiltration by foreign adversaries is a core priority for their committees this Congress.
“It is vital that Congress determines the extent to which US national security has been placed at risk,” the lawmakers stated in their letter. They specifically asked Huang to discuss the security protocols Nvidia has implemented to protect against foreign espionage. The lawmakers also noted that Huang has not received a defensive briefing from the intelligence community, a standard precaution usually offered to potential targets to warn them of ongoing threats.
Nvidia has rejected the allegations. In a statement released on Thursday, the company declined to confirm whether Jensen Huang would appear before Congress. The company described meetings with customers as a routine part of a CEO’s duties, noting that Jensen Huang speaks with thousands of customer executives annually.
“Our regional cloud customers receive ordinary business information, not sensitive Nvidia trade secrets, and zero information relevant to national security,” the company said. Nvidia also highlighted that its chief executive is accompanied by an “outstanding security team” during his travels.
Megaspeed Under Scrutiny for Chip Diversion
The focus on Megaspeed is not new. The US government has previously scrutinized the company, which was founded in 2023 as a spin-off from a Chinese gaming firm, for potential involvement in chip smuggling. Although no charges were filed, Nvidia took internal action when it became aware of US concerns. The company launched unannounced on-site inspections at Megaspeed’s Singapore facilities. According to people familiar with the matter, these internal probes found no evidence that Nvidia chips were being diverted into China.
Nvidia expressed confidence that the US government would notify the company if it believed a person posed a threat to US industry. The company stated it often receives updates from Washington regarding individuals of concern.
This incident occurs against a backdrop of heightened scrutiny on Nvidia’s supply chain. US export controls have led to increased efforts to smuggle advanced chips into China. Earlier this year, Wally Liaw, a co-founder of Supermicro, a key partner in Nvidia’s supply chain, was arrested in the US and charged with smuggling Nvidia chips into China. Liaw has pleaded not guilty and denies any wrongdoing.
The November 18 briefing will bring these issues to the forefront of congressional attention. Lawmakers are seeking to understand the full scope of the alleged espionage and the measures Nvidia has taken to safeguard its technology.
Source: Ars Technica
