Sen. Kevin Cramer. Rebecca Hammel / U.S. Senate Photographic Studio, public domain. 2019 file photo; cropped.
Sen. Kevin Cramer called on Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang to resign Tuesday, arguing that the potential for extortion poses a risk because of the sensitivity of the company’s advanced chips.
“The potential for extortion is so tremendous that something as sensitive as Nvidia chips, I just think he’s got to go,” the North Dakota Republican told Politico late Tuesday.
Cramer, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, made the demand amid an independent Nvidia board review of allegations that Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort. His comments are a call for Huang’s departure, not an announcement that Huang has resigned.
Nvidia has said its board has no reason to believe U.S. national security or company secrets were compromised, and that Huang has committed to cooperating with the internal review, according to Reuters. Huang has acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife. Allegations concerning the woman involved have not been established as findings against Huang.
Cramer’s committee has jurisdiction over legislation that could restrict sales of Nvidia’s advanced chips to China. Nvidia, based in Santa Clara, California, is a leading supplier of chips used to train and run artificial intelligence systems, placing its technology at the center of U.S.-China export-control debates.
The senator said the board’s internal investigation was “fine, but not nearly enough,” Politico reported. Nvidia did not immediately respond to that outlet’s request for comment on his remarks.
The demand adds pressure on Huang while the board’s independent investigation continues.
JBizNews Desk | Washington
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