Nvidia CEO Probe: China Denies Allegations Over Jensen Huang
Nvidia's board opened an independent investigation on November 8 after Jensen Huang admitted an affair with Alice Huang, a woman reported to be a Chinese intelligence asset. China has denied the allegations, while Nvidia says it has no reason to believe secrets were compromised.
Nvidia's board of directors launched an independent investigation on Sunday, November 8, after CEO Jensen Huang admitted to an affair with a woman reported to have been recruited by Chinese intelligence. China has denied the allegations.
The woman is Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le. She founded Megaspeed International, the largest buyer of Nvidia's chips in Southeast Asia.
What Huang and the board said
Huang sent a message to Nvidia staff that the company later published. He did not name her. "I was unfaithful to my wife," he wrote, adding: "There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."
He also told colleagues, partners and shareholders that "you deserve better from me."
The board said it has "no reason to believe" that national security or company secrets were compromised. It said Huang supports the review and has committed to cooperating. Independent directors will run it with outside legal counsel.
Nvidia had earlier described the pair's interactions as "not unusual" and said it does not share classified information with customers.
The Megaspeed link
A memo circulating among US policymakers earlier this year claimed China's Ministry of State Security had recruited Alice Huang to spy on the Nvidia chief, according to reports.
Megaspeed was founded in 2023 and spun off from the Chinese video game firm 7Road Holdings. It became an official Nvidia Cloud Partner days after a November 2023 sale to a Singapore shell company. That status gives a company preferred access to Nvidia chips.
Trade records show Megaspeed's imports of Nvidia products topped $4.6 billion. At facilities across Southeast Asia, it rents chips to Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Alibaba has denied Washington's allegations of ties to China's military.
Megaspeed says it denies any wrongdoing and abides by all relevant regulations. It said it was surprised by claims that a former executive acted as a foreign intelligence asset.
Why it matters
Huang has long argued for selling more Nvidia AI processors to China, the world's largest chip market. His links to the country will now face closer scrutiny.
"This seems quite frankly quite careless," said Elly Rostoum, a former US intelligence analyst, in a TV interview.
Nvidia has said its earlier inquiry into Megaspeed found no evidence of wrongdoing. The board's new investigation has no announced end date.
