Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has declined an invitation from Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to testify about American AI development at a Senate committee hearing later this week, NBC News reported.
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A Thursday hearing held by the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee will consider the role of AI in America’s innovation, affordability, and technological advantage. Warren asked Huang to attend to learn more about Nvidia’s operations in China and its approach to export regulations, the rules governing the sale of U.S. AI technology overseas.
“NVIDIA is at the center of the most important issues facing our country: artificial intelligence, economic competition, and national security,” Warren said in a statement about Fan’s decision to skip. “If Mr. Huang has time to fly around the world to attend a $1 million-a-person dinner at Mar-a-Lago and meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he should be able to find time to answer questions from Congress.”
Nvidia is the world’s most valuable company with a market capitalization of over $5 trillion. The company designs the world’s most advanced chips and hardware that power today’s AI systems.
In a letter seen by NBC News, Hwang told Warren: “While I cannot attend, I appreciate the committee’s focus on these important issues.” “America’s leadership in AI technology cannot be taken for granted, but we are confident in the future and believe in our systems.”
“We welcome the opportunity to welcome you and the members of the committee to NVIDIA headquarters in Santa Clara to discuss our technology, the American AI ecosystem, and how we can support American leadership,” Huang added.
Huang, a member of President Donald Trump’s Science and Technology Advisory Council, has repeatedly urged U.S. lawmakers and regulators to allow broader sales of Nvidia chips around the world. NBC News was unable to find a record of Hwang’s previous testimony before Congress.
“We should make sure that American companies have the best, the most and the first,” Huang told reporters in December, but added, “We should give the Chinese market the most competitive chips possible.”
Warren said at the time that Huang’s lobbying efforts “could lead to the strengthening of China’s military and undermine U.S. technological leadership.”
NVIDIA did not respond to a request for comment.
Just last week, the Commerce Department moved to close an apparent export control loophole that could have allowed companies like Nvidia to export powerful AI chips to countries where access to advanced U.S. chips is prohibited.
Export controls for U.S. AI systems have been a long-standing issue and challenge for Washington. While some in Washington argue that selling American chips overseas is critical to American innovation and competitiveness, many others argue that AI chips are so powerful that they require a strict export approach. AI chips can be used for a wide variety of purposes and could be used by foreign militaries, so they must be handled with extreme caution.
Congress is currently considering several bills that would further restrict sales of chips and related chip-making equipment to China and other U.S. rivals.
A Senate Banking Committee aide said Thursday’s committee will convene a panel of experts from Washington, D.C., think tanks and advocacy groups to discuss U.S. AI export controls.
Scheduled to appear are Mike Flynn, senior vice president of the Information Technology Industry Council, David Faith, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, Will Reinhart, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and Dr. Sarah Myers West, co-executive director of the AI Now Institute.
