Nvidia opens review into claims CEO was targeted by Chinese intelligence

Nvidia has opened an independent investigation into whether chief executive Jensen Huang was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation, following reports about his relationship with a Chinese businesswoman whom US authorities reportedly suspected of gathering information for Beijing. The company said on Sunday that a committee of independent directors, supported by outside legal counsel, would oversee the review. Nvidia’s board said it had no reason to believe that US national security or the company’s confidential information had been compromised, but would examine all available information.

Huang, Nvidia’s co-founder, is expected to continue as chief executive during the investigation. The company said he fully supports the process and has committed to cooperating with it. Huang has also said he remains committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting US national security.

The inquiry follows a report by The New York Times last month concerning Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based data-centre company Megaspeed. According to the Times, US intelligence agencies determined that she was gathering information for Beijing. France 24 described her as a Chinese citizen and chip buyer, while India Today said US authorities had investigated her as a suspected Chinese intelligence asset.

The reports stress that Alice Huang and Jensen Huang are not related. Nvidia’s chief executive acknowledged in a message to employees that he had been unfaithful to his wife, apologised to his family and colleagues, and said he had fallen short of his responsibility to the company. The allegations have attracted particular scrutiny because Megaspeed is a major Nvidia customer in Southeast Asia.

France 24, citing The New York Times, reported that the company had bought more than $4.8bn worth of Nvidia chips over the past two years. India Today said Megaspeed had been examined over suspicions that it helped Beijing gain access to advanced artificial-intelligence chips restricted from export to China. US export controls introduced since 2022 have sought to limit China’s access to advanced Nvidia processors and to equipment used to manufacture them.

Republican lawmakers in the House have asked Huang to brief Congress this month, saying the allegations raised significant national-security concerns and that lawmakers needed to determine whether US interests had been put at risk. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to comment. President Donald Trump, who serves with Huang on the Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, previously called the chief executive “smart” and “amazing” and said the administration would examine the matter closely.

Nvidia has previously said Huang meets thousands of customer executives each year and that Asian cloud customers receive only ordinary business information, not sensitive trade secrets or US national-security material. The company is also facing investor concerns about the durability of the artificial-intelligence boom. India Today reported that its market value was estimated at $4.5tn and that its shares had surrendered their gains for the year, while analyst Dan Ives warned the investigation could add uncertainty because of Huang’s central role in the company’s strategy.