US chip giant NVIDIA has launched an investigation following reports of its CEO Jensen Huang’s extramarital affair with a suspected spy for the Chinese government. In a recent statement, the company’s board disclosed that a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, will oversee the probe.
The statement went on to assert that the board prioritises US national and economic security, as it is crucial to the interests of NVIDIA and its shareholders. While the board claimed that it had no reason to believe that either national security or company secrets were compromised, it vowed to examine all the available information.
Last month, The New York Times reported that US intelligence officials believed that a Chinese national by the name of Alice Huang, or Huang Le, had been funneling information to Beijing. Alice Huang, who has no relation to the Taiwan-born Jensen Huang, served as an executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data centre company that also happens to be an NVIDIA chip customer. Notably, Megaspeed has been under US scrutiny since 2024, when a Commerce Department official visited its data centre in Malaysia. The hardware found at the facility was reportedly still packed in boxes, suggesting that it was being smuggled into China.
Surveillance of Alice Huang, who was suspected of diverting advanced AI chips to China, revealed her liaison with the NVIDIA CEO. That said, it is unclear what information had allegedly been passed to China, and whether it was of significant value. Following the initial report, the GPU maker denied the allegations, claiming that the interactions were not unusual or unexpected, and that customers like Megaspeed receive ordinary business information. Furthermore, the smuggling accusations against the firm had reportedly been investigated and debunked. The Chinese government also dismissed the report as “groundless speculation”.
Meanwhile, Jensen Huang released his own statement admitting to having an illicit affair and apologising to his wife and family, as well as his colleagues at NVIDIA. “Leading NVIDIA is the privilege of my life. My responsibility is to serve you and be worthy of your trust. I have fallen short of that responsibility. I am fully committed to NVIDIA and will work to earn back your confidence,” the CEO wrote. He also acknowledged the investigation, stating that he supported it and will cooperate fully.
In a note, Yorkville Ives partner and senior managing director Dan Ives described the probe as a “black eye” for Huang, stating that it may spark multiple congressional investigations. Furthermore, he could risk being removed as CEO depending on the outcome of the board’s review.
(Source: NVIDIA [1], [2], CNN)
