Abstract:
As the controversy surrounding Nvidia continues to escalate, the U.S. Congress is stepping up investigations. U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott recently sent a letter to former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, requesting them to attend committee hearings to explain recent Nvidia-related incidents that have attracted widespread attention.
According to public information, Scott sent a formal letter to the two people on the evening of November 12, local time. Among them, Huang was asked to testify before the Senate Banking Committee on December 3, while Lutnick was asked to attend another hearing on December 10.
The Senate stated that a series of recent reports have raised concerns about U.S. national security and the protection of sensitive technologies. Scott emphasized in his public statement that the American public has the right to get clear answers and therefore hopes that the two can explain the relevant situation to Congress.
It is worth noting that this Senate action is not an isolated incident. In the House of Representatives, a group of Republican congressmen composed of multiple committee chairs had also previously launched an investigation into Huang Jen-Hsun and asked him to participate in a closed-door recorded interview scheduled to be held in early December. If he refuses to cooperate, Congress may initiate subpoena proceedings to compel his attendance.
The Senate letter to Huang stated that recent reports about his relationship with a businessman suspected of espionage for China have raised "significant national security concerns." The committee hopes to learn more about the situation to determine whether there is a possibility that advanced U.S. technology or sensitive information may be at risk.
At the same time, Lutnick and the Department of Commerce he leads are also facing increasing doubts. Many members of Congress are concerned about the implementation of the U.S. government's chip export control policy to China, especially whether the Ministry of Commerce has fully fulfilled its responsibilities for advanced chip export supervision and why some Chinese companies have not been included in the key trade restrictions list.
In his letter to Lutnick, Scott pointed out that the Department of Commerce has core responsibilities in formulating and enforcing export control rules, so its testimony is critical to Congress's oversight work. The letter also emphasized that the current situation involves major national security and economic interests and requires Congress to intervene in an investigation in a timely manner.
Facing increasing pressure, the U.S. Department of Commerce has responded. A Commerce Department spokesman said Lutnick had voluntarily agreed to appear before the Senate Banking Committee hearing and answer questions from lawmakers.
As for Jen-Hsun Huang, as of the time of the release of relevant reports, he and Nvidia’s spokesperson have not publicly responded to the Senate’s request. However, Scott has stated that if Huang refuses to attend voluntarily, he will not rule out using a subpoena to force him to accept questioning.
Recently, the debate surrounding Nvidia’s sales of advanced artificial intelligence chips to China and related export supervision issues has continued to heat up. As one of the most influential companies in the global AI chip field, Nvidia has become the focus of US political circles discussing the risks of exporting advanced semiconductor technology. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers hope to further clarify whether government regulatory measures are effective and whether relevant decisions fully take into account national security factors.
As the Senate and House of Representatives investigations advance simultaneously, the NVIDIA incident has evolved from a corporate-level controversy to a national security issue of high concern to Washington. A series of congressional hearings held in the next few weeks are expected to become an important stage for discussions on U.S. chip export policies, technology controls on China, and related regulatory mechanisms.
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