In the long human story of tools that outrun the rules meant to govern them, a quiet episode has opened around Nvidia, the company whose chips have powered the artificial intelligence boom. Its longtime leader, Jensen Huang, has stepped down after a scandal tied to Megaspeed, a Singapore data center firm accused of funneling banned chips into China, and to a former executive suspected of spying for Beijing. Congressional leaders from both chambers now want to know whether the government's safeguards failed, and whether the very agency meant to police these exports was told to stand down. The q
GOP Chairs Press Jensen Huang to Testify Before Congress as Nvidia Megaspeed Probe Widens
Huang resigned, but the questions about Megaspeed did not leave with him.
Mark
Huang already resigned. Why are lawmakers still chasing him?
Mimi
Because the questions were never only about his job. They concern what Nvidia knew about Megaspeed and a former executive there suspected of being a Chinese spy. Moolenaar said the resignation changes the dynamic, but he still wants Huang in as soon as possible.
Mark
Why is Commerce part of this?
Mimi
Megaspeed got chips that can't legally go to China. Lawmakers are asking whether export controls failed, and Kessler's bureau enforces them. Reports say a probe of the firm was halted last year.
Luke
Careful there. "Some reported" is the source's own wording, and the piece doesn't say who halted it or why. That's one of the things the hearings would need to establish.
Mark
And the smuggling itself?
Luke
Alleged. Investigations are open in the U.S. and Singapore, and Megaspeed denies it. The spy label is also "suspected," not established.
Mimi
The letter itself says "publicly reported" intelligence asset, which is similarly hedged.
Mark
Is Huang actually going to testify?
Luke
Mast says he indicated willingness. Moolenaar says talks on a date are ongoing. Nothing is confirmed yet, and the subpoena threat was tied to a Friday evening deadline.
Mimi
Another angle is politics. The pressure is bipartisan, but Trump defends Huang while Schumer says the administration must answer too.
Luke
Right, and Trump's belief that Huang didn't know is his statement, not a finding.
Mark
What changes in January?
Mimi
Democrats take both chambers, which could shift who gets questioned and how.
Il Polso
- A former chip chief's sudden resignation has jolted Washington, with lawmakers refusing to let the scandal fade with his exit.
- House and Senate chairs have set a Dec. 1 deadline and threatened subpoenas, turning a corporate shake-up into a formal national security reckoning.
- Attention has swung toward the Commerce Department, where questions about a halted export probe and Secretary Lutnick's role are now being pressed.
- Huang has signaled willingness to appear, so the matter is heading toward a closed-door briefing, while Democrats prepare to press the administration when they take control in January.
In the long human story of tools that outrun the rules meant to govern them, a quiet episode has opened around Nvidia, the company whose chips have powered the artificial intelligence boom. Its longtime leader, Jensen Huang, has stepped down after a scandal tied to Megaspeed, a Singapore data center firm accused of funneling banned chips into China, and to a former executive suspected of spying for Beijing. Congressional leaders from both chambers now want to know whether the government's safeguards failed, and whether the very agency meant to police these exports was told to stand down. The questions are not only about one man's departure but about how much trust a nation can place in its own guardians of technology.
On Thursday, the chairs of three House committees made their demand in writing. Jensen Huang, who had just stepped down as Nvidia's chief executive, was asked to sit for a closed-door interview on December 1. If he refused by Friday evening, they warned, a subpoena would follow. The request came from Representatives John Moolenaar, Brian Mast, and Rick Crawford, who said they needed to understand how far national security had been put at risk. In the Senate, Tim Scott asked for voluntary testimony in early December and signaled that his panel was ready to use its subpoena power.
Nvidia's announcement of Huang's departure followed a scandal involving a former executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore data center company now under investigation in the United States and Singapore for allegedly smuggling banned AI chips into China. Megaspeed denies the charges. The resignation did not calm lawmakers. Senator Kevin Cramer said he would support a subpoena, and the questions have widened to whether federal officials did enough to stop chip diversion and to Trump's close ties with Huang.
That scrutiny now reaches the Commerce Department. Scott has asked Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify publicly, and the House has requested testimony from Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler, who leads the agency overseeing export controls. Reports suggest a probe into Megaspeed was halted last year, and senators want to know why. Huang has reportedly told the House chairs he is willing to appear, and the Dec. 1 date remains the next marker. Democrats, who take over both chambers in January, have made clear that they intend to press the administration as well.
On Thursday, the chairs of three House committees put a request in writing: they wanted Jensen Huang, who had just stepped down as Nvidia's chief executive, to sit for a closed-door interview on Dec. 1. If he had not accepted by Friday evening, they said, the House Foreign Affairs Committee would issue a subpoena.
The letter came from Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan, who chairs the Select Committee on China, Rep. Brian Mast of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Rick Crawford of the Intelligence Committee. In a joint statement they said they needed to know the full extent to which national security had been put at risk. The Senate moved in parallel. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who chairs the Banking Committee, asked Huang to testify voluntarily in the first week of December and warned that the panel is ready to use subpoena power. Scott wrote on X that the American people deserve answers.
Nvidia announced Huang's departure the same day. The company, whose chips have fueled the AI boom, said he stepped down after a scandal involving a former executive at Megaspeed who is suspected of being a Chinese spy. Megaspeed is a Singapore-based data center company that obtained highly sought chips banned from export to China. It is under investigation in both the United States and Singapore for allegedly smuggling those chips into China. Megaspeed has denied the allegations.
Huang's resignation has not eased the pressure. Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota told CNBC on Thursday morning, shortly before the announcement, that he would gladly support subpoenaing Huang, and a spokesperson said afterward that he still would. The affair has also raised questions about whether the federal government did enough to keep Nvidia's chips from being diverted to China, and about the Trump administration's close relationship with Huang.
That is why the requests reach into the Commerce Department. Scott asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to appear at a public hearing next month. The House Foreign Affairs Committee asked for testimony from Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler, who leads the Bureau of Industry and Security, the agency that oversees export controls. Some reports said a bureau probe into the firm was halted last year, and The New York Times reported that Lutnick's department should have acted to stop Megaspeed from buying chips. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana told CNN he wanted to hear from both Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, calling the matter "serious as an aneurysm."
The House chairs had first written to Huang the week before, saying a closed-door briefing would cover Nvidia's security protocols against foreign adversary espionage and his interactions with a publicly reported People's Republic of China intelligence asset. They had set a Wednesday deadline. Mast told reporters Huang replied and indicated he is willing to appear. Moolenaar said the resignation "does change the dynamic" but that the goal is to get Huang in as soon as possible. He had said earlier that lawmakers were in discussions on a date, and that if it did not happen, all three chairs would use subpoena power.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CBS News he expects interest in oversight in the Senate, and that having Huang testify would make sense given the nature of the association and the national security interests involved. Democrats, who take control of both chambers in January, are also circling. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X that Congress must demand answers from Huang and others at Nvidia despite the resignation, and that the administration must answer for what it did once it learned of Huang's relationship with a suspected Chinese intelligence asset.
President Trump, a friend of Huang's, has downplayed the matter and said he does not believe Huang knew the Megaspeed executive was a spy. He said Huang did a "fantastic job," and posted on Truth Social that Apple's Tim Cook should take his place. What to watch next: whether Huang meets the Dec. 1 date, whether subpoenas follow, and whether Lutnick and Kessler appear.
Citazioni salienti
We need to know the full extent to which our national security has been put at risk.— Chairs of the House China, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees
The resignation does change the dynamic, but the goal is to get Huang in as soon as possible.— Rep. John Moolenaar (paraphrased)
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