Nvidia opens investigation after its CEO Jensen Huang admits affair with businesswoman accused of spying for Beijing
The revelation, which comes amid a technological race between Washington and Beijing for dominance in artificial intelligence, has sparked an internal crisis at the world's most valuable company.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang
The U.S. chip giant Nvidia announced on Sunday that it has opened an independent investigation to determine whether its chief executive and co-founder, Jensen Huang, was the target of a foreign intelligence operation, after he acknowledged an extramarital relationship with a businesswoman who, according to The New York Times citing U.S. intelligence sources, worked for Chinese intelligence services.
The revelation, which comes amid a technological race between Washington and Beijing for dominance in artificial intelligence, has sparked an internal crisis at the world's most valuable company.
Nvidia's board of directors confirmed that a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside attorneys, will oversee the investigation, which will examine "all available information". The board emphasized that it "has no reason to believe" that U.S. national security or Nvidia's trade secrets have been compromised.
Huang admits to the breach and apologizes
In a message to company employees released on Sunday, Jensen Huang, 63, acknowledged having had an extramarital affair with Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, a Chinese businesswoman linked to the data center firm Megaspeed International based in Singapore. "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply remorseful," Huang wrote.
Nvidia's CEO, a central figure in the artificial intelligence revolution and an informal advisor close to President Donald Trump, stated that he fully supports the investigation and will cooperate with it. Huang, who was born in Taiwan, is not related to Alice Huang, as several media outlets have clarified.
Alice Huang: The alleged Chinese spy
According to The New York Times, which was the first to reveal the alleged espionage plot in late October, Alice Huang is a Chinese citizen recruited by Beijing to gather information on Jensen Huang. The businesswoman, who reportedly held a senior position at Megaspeed International—a company that leases computing power to other firms to train and run artificial intelligence systems—is said to have developed a close relationship with Nvidia's CEO since June 2024.
According to the NYT, citing U.S. intelligence sources, intelligence agencies reportedly concluded in 2025 that Alice Huang was passing information directly to Beijing. That conclusion was reportedly based on electronic surveillance and is reflected in a classified memorandum overseen by the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. The relationship between the two may have provided the businesswoman with information about Trump's thinking on artificial intelligence—a possibility that concerned U.S. officials in a strategic field with potential military applications where the United States and China are competing.
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Megaspeed under suspicion of chip smuggling
Megaspeed International, where Alice Huang held a senior position, has been under investigation by the U.S. government since 2024 for its possible role in shipping Nvidia chips to China, in violation of export restrictions imposed for national security reasons. Singaporean authorities also reportedly questioned Alice Huang in 2025 as part of an investigation into the company, according to The New York Times.
In December 2025, Megaspeed denied the allegations of chip smuggling and described the information published by Bloomberg as "misleading and incorrect insinuations." The company's website states that it is "a key business partner in Nvidia's cloud computing business in the Asia-Pacific region," underscoring the close business relationship between the two companies.
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Trump backs Huang despite the controversy
When asked on Sunday whether Jensen Huang would accompany him on his trip to Asia next week, President Donald Trump replied: "I don't know, but I'd certainly take him with me," according to a report by Reuters. Trump said that Huang "is a decent guy, but you never know what's really going on" and added that he hopes "everything will be fine," while highlighting the "incredible work" the Nvidia CEO has done.
Trump also stated that he does not regret not having acted on the intelligence he received about a year ago regarding Huang's relationship with Alice Huang, arguing that he is "an honorable man" and likely has an explanation.
The president's stance contrasts with the growing pressure from Republican lawmakers, who have already requested Huang's testimony regarding his relationship with Megaspeed and the company's security measures against foreign espionage.
China rejects the "baseless" allegations
Beijing on Monday rejected accusations that it had spied on Jensen Huang, calling the allegations "baseless."
"We have already commented on this matter previously. The story about the alleged Chinese spy is nothing more than defamation and a completely unfounded slanderous attack," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, at a regular press conference reported by AFP, after the company's board of directors announced that it had launched an investigation into media reports alleging "a foreign intelligence operation."
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A Crisis in the Midst of a Tech Race
Washington restricts the export of Nvidia's most advanced chips to China—a measure aimed at protecting the U.S. competitive edge in artificial intelligence and preventing Beijing from gaining access to technology with potential military applications.
Nvidia, a global leader in the production of chips used to train and run artificial intelligence models, is one of the world's most valuable companies, and the crisis involving its CEO could have repercussions beyond the corporate sphere.
The issue of artificial intelligence is expected to come up during the planned talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month at a summit in China, adding an additional diplomatic dimension to the case.
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