Nvidia CEO's Affair and Chip Export Tensions Test US Hegemony
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigned Thursday amid market anxiety over his affair with an alleged Chinese spy, raising concerns about US control over the AI chip supply chain. His company holds up to 90% of the advanced GPU market. Huang advocated easing chip sales restrictions to China, which hawks view as strategic promiscuity. Singapore is under scrutiny as a potential conduit for chips breaching US export sanctions, representing 18% of Nvidia's fiscal 2025 revenue by billing location. The case highlights tensions between US national security and capitalist interests, as Trump's policies alienate allies and China leverages rare-earth dominance. This crisis reflects broader challenges to US hegemony in great power competition.