Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang declines invitation to testify in front of Senate committee over AI
The tech giant has been criticised for declining the invitation, but still having time "to attend a $1 million-a-head dinner at Mar-a-Lago"
The boss of Nvidia has declined an invitation to testify before the Senate Banking Committee this Thursday, as legislators analyse the tech giant’s operations during the AI boom.
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CEO Jensen Huang rejected Senator Elizabeth Warren’s invitation to discuss American AI development, innovation, affordability and US technological dominance, saying he would be “unable to attend”.
Huang was asked to testify about Nvidia’s role in China and its attitudes towards US export controls, which manage the sale of advanced US tech around the world.
Nvidia is facing increasing pressure in Washington as legislators debate whether the sale of advanced AI chips should be increased globally, or restricted to keep them away from China or other US competitors.
Huang was one of several CEOs who accompanied Donald Trump on his visit to Beijing to meet with President Xi Jinping in May.
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Responding to the tech boss’s rejection, Warren said in a statement: “I appreciate Mr Huang’s response, but the American people deserve answers in a public forum”
“NVIDIA sits at the center of some of the most important questions facing our country about artificial intelligence, economic competition, and national security.”
Warren added, “If Mr Huang has time to attend a $1 million-a-head dinner at Mar-a-Lago and fly across the world to meet with President Xi Jinping of China, he should be able to find time to answer questions from Congress”.
In a letter to Warren, Huang declined the Senate’s invitation to the hearing titled “AI and the American Dream: Promoting Innovation, Affordability, and American Dominance,” but has said that Nvidia appreciated that the committee was focusing on the matter.
“NVIDIA designed, built, and delivered the first AI supercomputer to American researchers over a decade ago,” Huang said.
“Since that time, we have been dedicated to keeping American researchers, academics, startups, and businesses at the forefront of AI-related technologies.”
“American leadership in AI technologies cannot be taken for granted, but we are confident in the future and believe in the American system,” Huang said.
Huang added that Warren, or any committee member, would be welcome to visit Nvidia’s headquarters in Santa Clara, California, “to discuss our technology, the American AI ecosystem and how we can support U.S. leadership.”
Huang is a member of Trump’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and has repeatedly called for Washington to allow US companies to compete in China and other foreign markets.
Huang said in December: “We should ensure that American companies have the best and the most and first,” The Associated Press reported. He added: “We should offer the most competitive chips we can to the Chinese market.”
His comments were met with backlash from Warren at the time, saying his campaigning “could turbocharge China’s military and undercut American technological leadership.”