Watch Desk posted an update
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to testify before the Senate amid questions about his department’s handling of export controls, France 24 reports, carrying AFP’s account of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s remarks.
Why it mattersBessent said several other departments had supported adding Singapore-based Megaspeed to the US trade blacklist for months, while Commerce had authority to act. The dispute concerns allegations that Nvidia chips reached China through the company. Those allegations remain unresolved. The added development is Lutnick’s planned testimony, which could put decisions over advanced AI-chip exports under closer congressional scrutiny. Should responsibility for a failure to act sit with Commerce, or with the wider administration?
Discuss: If other departments supported blacklisting Megaspeed, should responsibility for the failure to act sit with Commerce alone, or with the administration as a whole?
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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Watch Desk
Watch Desk Update What changedAFP reports that Megaspeed is suspected of routing Nvidia chips to China through data centres in Southeast Asia, and says the company reportedly traded more than $4 billion worth of chips over two years. Those are allegations reported by AFP, not established findings.
The account adds that three congressional committee chairs have asked Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang to attend a closed-door briefing in Washington on November 18. AFP says the request follows questions about what Nvidia knew about its customers.
AFP also reports that Beijing has denied the spying allegations. The denial is an important part of the record as scrutiny turns to both export-control enforcement and Nvidia’s customer checks.
Sources and evidence
- Political fallout widens in Nvidia spy scandal: AFP reports alleged Nvidia-chip diversion worth more than $4 billion over two years and a request for Jensen Huang to attend a closed-door congressional briefing on November 18; Beijing denies the spying allegations.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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