House chairs ask Nvidia’s Jensen Huang to explain reported spy link

John Moolenaar, Brian Mast, and Rick Crawford sent the letter on Wednesday, according to a China Select Committee statement. They lead the China, Foreign Affairs, and Intelligence committees. Huang has until 11 November to say yes or offer another date.

The request follows a New York Times report on 29 October. The Times said US spy agencies had watched Alice Huang for about a year over her ties to China. Officials feared she could learn about Nvidia’s plans.

The Times also reported that officials did not believe Jensen Huang knew she might be gathering information for China. Neither of them has been charged. The two are not related.

Megaspeed, a Singapore firm that buys Nvidia chips, has said it hired outside lawyers to look into the claims, Forbes reported. US officials have also looked into whether the company helped China get restricted Nvidia chips.

It is not clear whether Huang will attend. Nvidia did not say when asked by Semafor on Friday.

“We’re confident that if the U.S. government believes that any person is a threat to American industry, it would let us know,” Nvidia spokesman John Rizzo told Semafor.

Huang has said no to Congress before. In June, he declined Senator Elizabeth Warren’s invitation to testify on Nvidia’s sales to China. Warren is expected to chair the Senate Banking Committee next year, Semafor reported.