Democrats probe Nvidia’s China chip sales deal with Trump admin, question $26 m in donations from company

US Democratic lawmakers have opened an inquiry into Nvidia's high-tech chip sales to China.

On Thursday, 12 November, Representative Richard Neal and Senator Ron Wyden asked the Commerce Department to preserve records related to an agreement that allowed Nvidia to export its H200 artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China in exchange for a share of the sales revenue for the US government.

Lawmakers have questioned whether the Trump administration used export controls, tariffs, and Nvidia's political contributions to exert influence over the company. Their inquiry also looks at Singapore-based Nvidia customer Megaspeed, which US authorities suspect of supplying more advanced chips to the Chinese government.

The lawmakers said US President Donald Trump agreed to allow Nvidia's H200 chip sales to China, provided the Taiwan-made chips were first sent to the US. The administration then imposed a tariff before the Commerce Department issued the export licence.

The letter described the arrangement as a possible unconstitutional export tax system, alleging that the government effectively took a share of Nvidia’s sales to China.

The Associated Press first reported the revenue-sharing agreement in August 2025. Nvidia and AMD had agreed to give the US government 15% of their revenue from chip sales to China in exchange for export licences.

Megaspeed and alleged China links under scrutiny

The lawmakers also wondered why the Commerce Department had approved Megaspeed's chip purchases despite concerns about the company and its executive, Alice Huang, based on intelligence reports.

US authorities allegedly worried that Megaspeed was helping supply premium Nvidia chips to China. The letter also questioned export approvals issued to other Asian companies, for which it was alleged that no physical office address existed.

The probe also examines whether Nvidia's political spending influenced the administration's actions. According to the letter, Nvidia donated $26 million towards Trump's projects, including his proposed White House ballroom.

Nvidia's former CEO faces separate congressional investigation

The new investigation is coming on the heels of more investigation after reports emerged of an alleged relationship between Nvidia founder Jensen Huang and Alice Huang, who has been accused of ties with Chinese intelligence.

In a separate move, a group of Republicans in Congress, led by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Intelligence Committee, has asked Huang to testify in a closed-door session.