NVIDIA chief executive Jensen Huang maintained direct access to the Trump White House and helped shape decisions on which advanced semiconductors could be sold to China. The chipmaker’s leader traveled with the president to both Britain and China, positioning himself at the center of debates over how much cutting-edge technology American firms should share with their strategic rival.
Since 2022 the United States has restricted exports of NVIDIA’s most powerful AI processors to Chinese buyers. Yet components continued moving through intermediaries in Singapore and Malaysia. Huang argued the limits would backfire, hurting American revenue while accelerating China’s domestic chip development. The White House appeared receptive to that view.
Now a different Huang has triggered a political firestorm.
Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based MegaSpeed, is suspected by U.S. intelligence of maintaining connections to Chinese spy agencies. MegaSpeed itself has been accused of helping route restricted chips to China illegally. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, whose department controls export licenses, came under heavy pressure to sanction the company. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other senior officials reportedly urged adding MegaSpeed to a trade blacklist.
Instead, according to the New York Times, an investigation into MegaSpeed was halted after NVIDIA’s legal team contacted Commerce Department investigators citing a high-ranking Trump official. The case was later referred to the Justice Department, where it effectively stalled.
Lawmakers from both parties are demanding answers. Senator Elizabeth Warren said Huang’s departure would not resolve the underlying problems. Republican Representative John Moolenaar warned that technology transfers must not endanger national security. Huang’s representatives say he is prepared to testify behind closed doors.
The White House stands firmly behind Lutnick. President Trump has called him the greatest Commerce Secretary in modern history. Democrats have already opened a formal probe into whether the department mishandled licensing decisions that benefited Chinese firms.
