Congress eyes China chip curbs after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang exits

The resignation of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang followed reports of a romantic relationship with a businesswoman suspected by U.S. authorities of spying for the Chinese government. In the wake of that scandal, lawmakers from both parties have called for tougher restrictions on China's access to advanced AI chips, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday there was growing consensus in Congress on limiting such exports. Nvidia's chips are widely used to develop cutting-edge AI models, making the company central to the U.S. competition with China to build superior AI systems, so any export limits would directly affect that race. Separately, senior White House officials were discussing whether Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick should be pushed out, two people familiar with the situation said, as the desire to take action rose across Washington.