Nvidia Letter (Mr. Jensen Huang, CEO)
April 16, 2025
Mr. Jensen Huang
Chief Executive Officer
NVIDIA Corporation
2788 San Tomas Expressway
Santa Clara, CA 95051
Dear Mr. Huang,
We write today to express concerns regarding the potential use by Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Basic Technology Research Co., Ltd. (“DeepSeek”) of NVIDIA chips that are subject to U.S. export controls. Since the release of DeepSeek’s R1 chatbot in January 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce has reportedly launched an investigation into the illicit use of both hardware and software by DeepSeek, including the potential diversion of restricted NVIDIA chips through third countries to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).¹
The recent arrest of three men in Singapore—including one PRC national—for allegedly mislabeling the end-use customer of NVIDIA chips highlights the seriousness of this issue.² Despite multiple rounds of U.S. export restrictions on AI chips, DeepSeek’s ability to develop advanced AI models suggests that loopholes or indirect supply channels may still exist.
This raises significant questions about the effectiveness of current U.S. export control laws in preventing the transfer of sensitive AI technologies to adversarial regimes. If not addressed, such gaps could undermine the United States’ technological leadership, with far-reaching economic and national security implications.
While the PRC aggressively seeks to import U.S. chips for AI development, it simultaneously pursues state-backed efforts to close the technological gap with companies such as NVIDIA. At the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of “winning the battle” in core technologies.³⁴ It is critical that both the U.S. government and private sector act to preserve America’s lead in AI and computing components.
Request for Information
To aid our understanding of the scope of these issues, we respectfully request the following documents and information no later than April 30, 2025:
Customer List and Purchase Data
A list of NVIDIA’s customers that:(a) Have purchased more than 499 AI-related chips or accelerators (e.g., H100, A100, H800, A800, H20, L40S, B100, B200, B20, etc.) between January 1, 2020, and the present; and
(b) Are located in, or list an end-use destination in, the following countries:
ASEAN member states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam)
China (including Hong Kong and Macau)
For each qualifying customer, please provide:
Customer name
Date(s) of purchase
Type and quantity of chips or accelerators purchased
End-use country and entity
Correspondence with DeepSeek
Any communications or correspondence between NVIDIA and DeepSeek (including its affiliates, funding entities, leadership, or personnel).Contractual Documents
All agreements, including but not limited to customer contracts, memorandums of understanding, or research agreements, between NVIDIA and any PRC entities that are currently or were previously restricted by the U.S. government under:Section 1260H of the FY2021 NDAA
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Entity List
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List
Commerce Department's Military End User List
Executive Order 14059
Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List
Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex (NS-CMIC) Companies List⁶
The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party has broad authority under H. Res. 5 Sec. 4(a) to investigate and provide policy recommendations to counter economic, technological, and ideological threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party.
We appreciate your attention to this important matter. For responses or follow-up questions, please contact the Select Committee staff directly.
Sincerely,
<br>
John Moolenaar Raja Krishnamoorthi
Chairman Ranking Member
You can view the PDF of this letter HERE