US Lawmakers Ask Intel, Nvidia About Tech Sales to China

Leaders of a congressional commission on China asked Intel and Nvidia to explain whether they knew their technology exports to China would help the government conduct mass surveillance of Muslim minorities and eventually lead to human rights violations. In Dec. 4 letters, Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., chair and co-chair, respectively, of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said they are concerned that sales of the companies’ computer chips are helping to power a Chinese supercomputer being used to suppress minorities in the Xinjiang region, The New York Times reported Nov. 22.

McGovern and Rubio said some Chinese companies involved in China’s alleged human rights abuses -- including Sugon, which was added to the Commerce Department’s Entity List last year (see 1906210046) -- bought technology from Intel and Nvidia. The lawmakers asked the companies whether they were aware they were selling products to companies on the Entity List, how many export licenses each company had applied for, how much revenue they earned as a result of the sales and whether they conducted any due diligence before completing the sales.

An Intel spokesperson said the company “does not support or tolerate our products being used to violate human rights.” In cases where Intel is aware that a customer is involved in human rights abuses, the company will “restrict or cease business with the third party until and unless we have high confidence that Intel's products are not being used to violate human rights,” the spokesperson said. An Nvidia spokesperson declined to comment.