Nvidia CEO affair intensifies US pressure for tougher China chip curbs
The scandal involving Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's admitted affair with a suspected Chinese intelligence operative is intensifying pressure in Washington for tougher US export controls on advanced AI chips to China, a policy previously softened under President Donald Trump. Huang admitted Sunday to an affair with Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive US intelligence believes worked for Chinese intelligence. Trump called Huang "an honorable guy" and said he was unaware she was a spy. China hawks, frustrated by Trump's approval of Nvidia's H200 chip exports to China, now see an opportunity to push stricter measures. Three Republican House chairs have requested a closed-door briefing with Huang on Nov 18. The affair could revive the bipartisan AI Overwatch Act, allowing Congress to review and block advanced chip export licenses. However, tighter rules risk provoking Chinese retaliation against US supply chains, and Trump's veto power remains a key obstacle.