Lutnick faces scrutiny over Nvidia chip controls tied to China

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is under growing scrutiny over whether his department took too soft a line on Nvidia’s advanced chip sales as pressure mounted inside the Trump administration for tougher controls aimed at China. The New York Times reported that Lutnick repeatedly clashed with other senior officials over export rules for advanced technology to Asia, especially Nvidia chips. Critics in Congress and the administration argued the department failed to adequately police sales to China-linked buyers, including Singapore-based Megaspeed, which is suspected of smuggling Nvidia chips to China. The controversy intensified after revelations involving Nvidia chief Jensen Huang and has sharpened debate over whether US export policy moved too slowly in the AI race with China.