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Nvidia CEO Asked to Brief Congress on China Spy Concerns

Three Republican House committee chairs have asked Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang to appear at a joint private briefing on November 18. The lawmakers lead committees focused on China, foreign affairs and intelligence, and want to discuss concerns about Chinese access to US technology and information.

The request follows reports that US intelligence officials believe Huang was targeted in a Chinese spying operation. The concerns involve Alice Huang, a Chinese executive at Singapore-based cloud company Megaspeed, which has purchased billions of dollars’ worth of Nvidia chips.

The lawmakers said assessing whether national security was put at risk is central to their committees’ work. Nvidia has rejected the claims. Asked whether Huang would attend, the company did not give a direct answer. It said customer meetings are part of the chief executive’s role and that he speaks with thousands of customer executives each year.

Nvidia also said it receives US government updates about parties and entities of concern and acts accordingly. The congressional request comes as lawmakers consider tighter restrictions on advanced chip sales to China. A required defense measure may contain export controls in the lame-duck session, and measures could advance more easily next year.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is likely to become chair of the Senate Banking Committee, has sought Huang’s testimony on Nvidia’s deals with other technology companies and its chip sales to China. The broader debate also puts President Donald Trump’s relationship with Huang alongside congressional efforts to strengthen restrictions.

Reported by Ars Technica, Semafor.

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