Nvidia’s board of directors has initiated an independent investigation into chief executive Jensen Huang after reports surfaced linking him to a woman American intelligence agencies suspect of spying for China. The probe was announced Sunday, with the company stating it has no evidence that national security or trade secrets were compromised.
Huang confirmed the extramarital relationship in an email to staff, which Nvidia later made public. He apologized to his wife, children, and colleagues, writing that he regretted his actions and supported the board’s review. The executive also reaffirmed his commitment to the company and to US national security interests.
The woman at the center of the controversy has been identified by the New York Times as Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, a Chinese national and former executive at Singapore-based MegaSpeed International. That firm lists Nvidia as a key partner on its website.
MegaSpeed faced allegations last year of illegally diverting advanced Nvidia chips to China, though the company denied wrongdoing in December. US intelligence believes Alice Huang was collecting information on behalf of Beijing during her involvement with Jensen Huang.
China’s foreign ministry dismissed the espionage claims as a smear campaign. Meanwhile, former president Donald Trump stated the FBI is also examining the matter, even as he praised Huang’s leadership in artificial intelligence.
A shareholder lawsuit has since been filed accusing Nvidia of misleading investors by failing to disclose the relationship and its potential security implications. The timeline of the affair and when it ended remain unclear, and the board has not set a deadline for completing its review.
