Jensen Huang, the former chief executive officer of Nvidia, has agreed to testify before U.S. congressional committees, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast said on Thursday, according to reports from Bloomberg and NBC News.
Huang stepped down as CEO after media reports about an alleged affair with a woman who was suspected of spying for China. He agreed on Wednesday to appear for testimony after several senior lawmakers threatened to subpoena him.
Huang has consented to testify before Congress by Thanksgiving, which takes place later this month.
The move follows a November 4 letter from House Republicans Brian Mast, John Moolenaar, and Rick Crawford requesting Huang’s appearance before their committees. John Moolenaar chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Brian Mast chairs the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Rick Crawford chairs the House Intelligence Committee.
"Jensen and I have been very at odds as some of you already know on export controls, but Nvidia is a very important company to the United States of America," Mast told reporters. "I don’t want to see anything hurt in Nvidia, but he has some very serious questions to answer."
The testimony will be held behind closed doors, though Mast said he expects the briefing to be recorded on video and transcribed.
Why this matters
A hearing with the company’s former CEO could be significant for both national security concerns and the strategic position of the semiconductor industry, particularly given Nvidia’s central role. The closed-session format suggests lawmakers may address confidential or sensitive matters.
