Nvidia ex-CEO Huang summoned to testify before US lawmakers

"Recent reports raise serious concerns about our national security and the protection of sensitive U.S. technology. I am requesting that NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testify before the Senate Banking Committee," the committee's chairman Tim Scott said on X.

Meanwhile, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will testify before Congress on the Nvidia scandal, US media reported Thursday.

US lawmakers have called for clarity on what the administration of President Donald Trump knew about Nvidia chief Jensen Huang's extramarital affair with a woman suspected of spying for China.

"Secretary Lutnick has proactively agreed to appear voluntarily before the Banking Committee to address their questions," Kristen Eichamer, a spokeswoman for Lutnick, told NBC News.

Huang, a pivotal figure in the artificial intelligence boom, quit as Nvidia's chief executive on Thursday after revelations of two extramarital affairs, including one with suspected spy Alice Huang, who is no relation.

Lutnick has come under scrutiny as the commerce department was mandated to review companies for national security risks before the Trump administration green-lit Nvidia to sell advanced chips to China.

Beijing is in a race for tech dominance against the United States, which restricts the export to China of the most cutting-edge silicon chips.

Nvidia, a global leader in producing chips used to train and run AI models, is one of the world's most valuable companies.

Senate Banking Committee chairman Tim Scott requested that Lutnick testify "for a public hearing regarding recent public reports about Nvidia and the Department of Commerce's role that raises national security concerns", NBC reported.

Scott has also requested Jensen Huang testify before the committee, NBC said.