Congress asks Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to a closed-door briefing over China espionage concerns
The request follows reports that Chinese intelligence targeted Huang through an associate at Megaspeed, a claim Nvidia and China both reject.
US lawmakers have asked Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to attend a closed-door briefing on November 18 after reports that American intelligence believes China targeted him through an associate, Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed. Per the New York Times, China's Ministry of State Security reportedly recruited her to gather information on US AI chips and possibly sway Nvidia toward supplying its most advanced chips to China, and she reportedly has ties to senior figures at Gigabyte. The Financial Times adds that the memo also alleged a romantic relationship between the two, which Nvidia has rejected, saying Huang's contact with customer executives is routine and involves no trade secrets or national security material. Megaspeed has been accused by the Commerce Department since 2024 of smuggling $2 billion in advanced silicon into China, and Singapore and Taiwan have opened their own inquiries. The New York Times also reported that Trump was briefed on the matter last year without acting, and China has dismissed the espionage claims as groundless.
Why it matters
The case ties Nvidia's leadership to a wider question about how advanced US AI chips reach China. Lawmakers are seeking direct answers from the chipmaker's CEO, while Singapore and Taiwan have opened their own inquiries into Megaspeed and the executive involved. For readers following the chip trade, the outcome could shape how closely US officials scrutinise contacts between American chip firms and their overseas customers.
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