Nvidia Board Launches Investigation Into CEO's Alleged Liaison With Chinese Intelligence

The board of directors at Nvidia announced on Sunday that it has opened an investigation into the company's chief executive officer. The review follows reports that Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence operation. The board stated it is examining all available information regarding the matter.

Huang told the board that he had a romantic relationship with a business executive. According to The New York Times, US intelligence agencies determined that this individual was gathering information for Beijing. The executive, identified as Alice Huang, is a Chinese citizen and chip buyer. She previously worked as a television reporter in China before becoming a senior executive at Megaspeed. Megaspeed is a Singapore-based data center firm that purchased more than 4.8 billion dollars worth of Nvidia chips in the last two years. The two Huangs are not related.

In a letter to employees obtained by the Associated Press, Jensen Huang admitted to infidelity and apologized to his family and colleagues. He stated that he takes full responsibility for his actions. "Leading Nvidia is the greatest privilege of my life," Huang wrote. "My responsibility is to serve you and be worthy of your trust. I have not lived up to that responsibility." He did not name Alice Huang or explicitly mention her links to Beijing in the letter, though he acknowledged media concerns about national security.

The board said it has no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised. It noted that Huang fully supports the probe and has committed to cooperating. The 63-year-old will continue to serve as CEO during the investigation. John Rizzo, a company spokesperson, said the news would not slow the company down. "Jensen is committed to continuing to lead Nvidia as CEO without interruption," Rizzo said.

Nvidia, based in Santa Clara, California, is the most valuable company in the world. Its chips power many data centers used to train artificial intelligence models. The company reported quarterly earnings of 59.69 billion dollars in August. US export restrictions have aimed to limit China's access to Nvidia's advanced semiconductor technology.

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he had not spoken with Huang about the events. He praised the CEO's work. "I hope everything's okay then. He's done an incredible job," Trump told reporters. When asked if he regretted not acting on the spy information, Trump called Huang an honorable man. Trump said he would likely bring Huang on his upcoming trip to Asia, noting that Huang serves on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio departed for a G7 meeting in Paris on Sunday. He said he could not comment on the situation due to its nature. "I can't comment on a corporate internal matter that is happening at Nvidia," Rubio said.