Washington; California; Hong Kong: Former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has tentatively agreed to testify before US congressional committees investigating his reported links to a Chinese businesswoman suspected of having connections to Chinese intelligence, as Republican lawmakers intensify scrutiny of the chipmaker's security practices and business dealings with China.
According to CNN, House Republican leaders are negotiating with Huang and Nvidia for a closed-door briefing before key congressional committees, potentially as early as next week. Fox News also reported that Huang is expected to testify before Congress before Thanksgiving.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast told reporters that Huang had tentatively agreed to appear before lawmakers on Wednesday night, shortly before stepping down from Nvidia.
Mast, along with two other Republican committee chairmen, formally requested Huang's testimony on November 4. The request sought answers about his reported relationship with the woman suspected of having links to Chinese intelligence and the company's security protocols.
Following Huang's resignation on Thursday, Republican lawmakers indicated that his testimony had become even more important to the investigation. Mast said the committees were prepared to issue a subpoena if Huang withdrew his agreement to appear.
Although it remains unclear whether the proceedings will be made public, Mast said the testimony would be, at a minimum, "under oath and transcribed and video recorded".
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The investigation is also expected to extend beyond Huang, with lawmakers seeking testimony from other senior Nvidia officials.
Mast said the committees were interested in hearing from other "entities within Nvidia that are parallel to Jensen and his work", CNN reported.
Rep. John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, said Huang's testimony would help lawmakers understand the extent of potential Chinese intelligence access to sensitive American technology and information.
"I think it's important that we understand Chinese intelligence, how they worked in this situation, and what information and what privileged information they had access to, as well as what advocacy they had for certain policy positions," Moolenaar said.
The November 4 request was jointly sent by Moolenaar, Mast and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford.
The investigation has also brought renewed attention to US semiconductor exports to China, particularly given Huang's previous opposition to tighter restrictions on chip sales. Moolenaar acknowledged that Huang's resignation had changed the circumstances surrounding the inquiry but maintained that the former executive should still appear before lawmakers.
Alleged links to Chinese intelligence
The congressional inquiry follows reports about Huang's alleged relationship with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman whom US intelligence officials reportedly suspect of having links to Chinese intelligence services. The two are not related.
Alice Huang is a former executive at Singapore-based data company Megaspeed International, one of Nvidia's major customers. The Wall Street Journal reported that she was the woman referred to in a letter Jensen Huang sent to Nvidia employees, in which he acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife and apologised for violating her trust.
The New York Times reported that US officials had concluded Alice Huang was a Chinese spy recruited to influence Nvidia's availability of advanced chips in China. However, Singaporean authorities said they had found insufficient evidence that she had committed a crime. They questioned her and confiscated her passport last year during an investigation into Megaspeed, but suspected she had provided inaccurate information about her role at the company and barred her from returning to the country.
Megaspeed faced allegations of illicitly shipping advanced Nvidia chips to China but said in December that there was no evidence of such exports. The company said it had cooperated with the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security and hired a US law firm to conduct a comprehensive review of its chip inventory and export controls.
China has denied attempting to ensnare Huang.
Reports of relationships with Nvidia employees
The scrutiny has also widened following reports of alleged extramarital relationships involving Huang and two women.
The New York Times reported that Huang had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of healthcare, who reports to him. The newspaper cited five people who had worked at Nvidia and reported that the two were captured on video behaving affectionately at a hotel in San Jose, California, during an Nvidia conference in March.
Powell joined Nvidia in 2008 and oversees programmes focused on applying the company's chip technology to higher education and healthcare, particularly medical imaging devices.
Reuters, citing two people familiar with the matter, separately reported that Huang had a relationship with a second company employee. The latest report added to scrutiny following the earlier allegations involving Alice Huang and Powell.
Nvidia's board has reportedly initiated an investigation into the allegations. The company has said it has "no reason to believe" that national security or its confidential information was compromised, while indicating that its inquiry would examine all available information.
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Trump reacts to Huang's departure
US President Donald Trump described the controversy surrounding Huang as a "horrible thing" and said it was "so sad to see happen" during an interview with Salem News Channel on Thursday.
Trump's remarks came hours after Nvidia announced that Huang had stepped down following 33 years at the company he co-founded in 1993.
Trump also praised Huang's contribution to Nvidia in a Truth Social post, while suggesting that Apple executive chairman and former CEO Tim Cook should succeed him.
"NOW THAT Nvidia CEO JENSEN HUANG, who has done a fantastic job, has resigned, there is only one man to take his place - TIM COOK of Apple. A Legend replaces a Legend!" Trump wrote.
During the interview, Trump also discussed artificial intelligence, describing it as "super intelligence", and addressed allegations of Chinese espionage. He argued that intelligence gathering between the United States and China was not a one-sided activity.
Nvidia faces leadership transition
Huang's departure has left Nvidia looking for a permanent successor. The company's board named Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO and said it would consider both internal and external candidates.
Kress became CFO in 2013, having previously worked for three years at Cisco and 13 years at Microsoft. The board also named Harvey C. Jones, an entrepreneur and venture investor, as its first-ever chairman.
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Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and led its transformation into one of the world's leading suppliers of artificial intelligence chips. He is among the world's wealthiest people, with Forbes estimating his personal fortune at more than $150 billion. He is also Nvidia's largest individual shareholder.
The company's shares fell 14 per cent at the opening bell after his departure, then recovered some ground. They were down about 4 per cent around midday on Thursday.
Analyst Asa Hiken of research firm eMarketer said Huang's departure introduced uncertainty beyond the company itself.
Nvidia is due to report its earnings on Tuesday.
(With inputs from ANI and AP via PTI)
