Chip scandal boosts US push for AI export curbs ahead of Trump-Xi summit

A scandal involving Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is strengthening U.S. lawmakers' push for tighter restrictions on China's access to advanced AI chips, days before President Donald Trump's planned summit with Xi Jinping. The allegations have weakened Huang's opposition to export controls. Huang, a vocal opponent of strict chip export limits, is now facing fallout from an alleged affair with Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen reportedly recruited by Chinese intelligence. This has given China hawks ammunition to advance bills like the AI Overwatch Act and Chip Security Act in the National Defense Authorization Act, which were previously stalled. The scandal has also renewed momentum for rules closing loopholes on remote chip access and intermediary shipments, with potential blacklisting of entities like Megaspeed. Chinese officials have warned they could respond with controls on rare earths, while Trump has not confirmed whether Huang will join the summit delegation.