Jensen Huang's congress testimony is expected as lawmakers from both parties demand tighter limits on Nvidia's China chip exports. The pressure follows Huang's resignation as Nvidia chief executive and has already drawn commerce secretary Howard Lutnick into a voluntary appearance before the Senate Banking Committee.

A resignation under scrutiny

Jensen Huang stepped down as Nvidia CEO on Thursday after reports of a romantic relationship with a businesswoman whom US authorities suspect of spying for the Chinese government. The affair was reportedly with Alice Huang, an alleged Chinese spy and a former top executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based datacentre company.

Megaspeed itself is under scrutiny for allegedly steering Nvidia AI chips to China despite US export rules. The scrutiny now spans several jurisdictions:

• •Singapore police said last October they were investigating Megaspeed over suspected breaches of domestic laws, after a US senator asked the commerce department to investigate.
• •Singapore's home affairs ministry held Alice Huang's passport from June 2025 until February over potential false declarations related to the company; she was released with a stern warning.
• •Singaporean authorities said Alice Huang was barred from re-entering the city state after a 2025 investigation into Megaspeed.
• •Taiwan's interior minister told lawmakers on Wednesday that Alice Huang is also barred from entering the territory.
• •Malaysia's MITI is investigating whether a local subsidiary of Megaspeed re-exported chips brought into the country, and is working with Singapore and US authorities.

Colette Kress is serving as Nvidia's interim CEO in Huang's place. Reuters sources described her as a counterweight to Huang's risky ambitions; a source called her a pragmatist who could project calm and stabilise markets while the company searches for a permanent CEO.

Kress had clashed with Huang and the sales team over large financing deals, including investments in OpenAI and Lambda, that critics called a circular AI economy. A proposed $250bn plan to support an OpenAI data centre project in Ohio was ultimately pared to $120bn.

Congress closes in on chip exports

In the week before Huang's resignation, representatives from both sides of the aisle called for tougher restrictions on China's access to advanced AI chips. The United States has sought for years to limit China's access to Nvidia's chips in order to keep US companies ahead in the AI race.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said a consensus is forming on the question. "I think there's a developing consensus in Congress that is an important position to take," Johnson said.

Republican Senator Jim Banks said lawmakers had pushed for two years to stop high-end computer chips being exported to China. "Nvidia opposed my legislation a year ago. They opposed other export control laws," Banks said. Meanwhile, congressional Republicans are keen to attach new restrictions on exporting advanced AI chips to China to the annual defense authorisation bill, according to a Senate aide speaking to Reuters anonymously.

Huang, for his part, had supported more exports to China despite repeated calls from China hawks in both parties to restrict Beijing's access.

Lutnick and the commerce department under fire

Senate banking committee chair Tim Scott requested that Lutnick testify publicly about Nvidia and the Commerce Department's role, and also asked that Huang testify. Lutnick has now agreed to appear. "Secretary Lutnick has proactively agreed to appear voluntarily before the Banking Committee to address their questions," said Kristen Eichamer.

The commerce department had been mandated to review companies for national security risks before the Trump administration allowed Nvidia to sell advanced chips to China. Lawmakers have pressed the department on several fronts:

• •Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, set to chair the Senate banking committee from January, wrote to Lutnick, Marco Rubio and Stephen Miller telling the administration to preserve all documents related to Nvidia's exports of advanced AI chips to China.
• •Senators Ron Wyden and Representative Richard Neal wrote to Lutnick investigating the administration's approval of sales of Nvidia's advanced AI chips to Chinese companies with links to the government, military and sanctioned entities.
• •Those lawmakers questioned Trump's December 2025 decision allowing Nvidia to sell H200 chips to China in exchange for a cut of export sales, which they called an unconstitutional export tax.

Republican Senator John Kennedy questioned the policy directly. "The obvious question is why did he choose to sell advanced chips?" Kennedy said, adding that Lutnick should explain publicly and stop the sales.

The New York Times reported that Lutnick clashed with other Trump officials over Nvidia chip sales rules and faced accusations from inside the administration that his department is too cozy with Nvidia and its co-founder, Jensen Huang. White House officials were reportedly discussing Lutnick's future, though earlier a White House official said Donald Trump maintains complete confidence in the secretary and his ability to carry out the position.

China's response and Nvidia's new course

News of Huang's resignation attracted more than 400m views overnight on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo. Huang had enjoyed celebrity status in China: during a January 2026 visit, opportunistic sellers advertised photographs with the former Nvidia chief for 25,000 yuan, and a Beijing restaurant launched a menu costing over 400 yuan.

According to Reuters, Chinese AI companies are now trying to secure Nvidia chip capacity outside China, on concern the export-control gap may close. Beijing has pushed domestic alternatives including Huawei, though analysts say Chinese chips remain less efficient for training advanced AI models.

Under Kress, Nvidia is likely to approach Washington more diplomatically rather than fight over export controls, a source said, describing an approach closer to how other tech companies build capital and make friends in DC.

The next steps are Huang's expected congressional testimony and Lutnick's voluntary appearance before the Senate Banking Committee.