Nvidia case: US Senate committee summons Commerce Secretary Lutnick and Huang

Trade Minister and Huang subpoenaed Nvidia chips to China? US Senate wants answers As of: November 13, 2026 • 8:27 a.m

The boss has resigned - but the investigation into the espionage affair involving Jensen Huang and Nvidia is only just beginning. Huang and Trade Minister Lutnick are scheduled to testify before the US Senate. It's about possible chip deliveries to China.

Following new questions about possible deliveries of Nvidia chips to China, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and former CEO Jensen Huang have been summoned to appear before a Senate committee.

Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, a Republican, asked them to appear for a public hearing in December. Scott cited national security concerns and threatened Huang with a subpoena if he did not testify voluntarily. Lutnick has already agreed, as a spokesman for the ministry told the TV station NBC.

Huang resigned as Nvidia boss on Thursday. He is said to have had an affair with a woman from China who, according to US security authorities, may have been recruited by Chinese intelligence.

Jensen Huang played a key role in shaping Nvidia - as a "likeable tech bro" with good contacts in the Trump administration. more

The whole thing also has a political dimension. It's about possible deliveries of Nvidia chips to China while circumventing US bans. The Chinese woman with whom Huang had an affair worked for a time for the Megaspeed company. This Singapore-based company was suspected by US authorities of secretly shipping AI chips purchased from Nvidia to China. According to US media reports, Nvidia supplied Megaspeed with technology worth around four billion dollars.

Trade Minister Lutnick will now have to ask himself why this was possible. Export control is Lutnick's department - and he is now coming under pressure. Parliamentarians not only from the Democratic Party, but also from President Donald Trump's Republican camp are demanding answers.

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The US government wants to slow down Chinese progress in artificial intelligence by banning the sale of high-performance chips from Nvidia. However, Huang was in favor of chip sales, arguing that this would tie China to US technology - rather than spur the development of systems that could compete with Nvidia in the global market.

But US President Trump could also play a role in the Jensen Huang scandal. What did he know about the affair and when? The Democrats want clarification here.

According to media reports, Trump knew about Nvidia boss Huang's affair with a suspected Chinese spy. more

This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | US Senate committee demands testimony from ex-Nvidia boss and Commerce Secretary | 11/13/2026 | 7:34 a.m.The First | daily news | 11/12/2026 | 8:00 p.m