CALIFORNIA : Nvidia Corporation has opened an independent investigation into founder and CEO Jensen Huang following revelations that he engaged in an extramarital affair with an executive suspected by U.S. intelligence of operating as an agent for Beijing. The decision came after Huang issued an internal memo apologizing to his family and staff for marital infidelity, while pledging full cooperation with the board’s review.
The national security concerns center on Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based data center firm Megaspeed. U.S. intelligence agencies have kept her under surveillance for over a year on suspicions of ties to China’s Ministry of State Security. Confidential intelligence reports prepared under Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly warned that Beijing sought to use the relationship to gather intelligence on advanced AI hardware and influence U.S. export policies. Megaspeed has purchased billions of dollars in Nvidia hardware, drawing separate scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Commerce over whether advanced chips were improperly diverted into mainland China.
Nvidia’s board stated that initial assessments show no evidence of compromised national security or trade secrets, though an independent committee with outside legal counsel will thoroughly examine the matter while Huang remains CEO. President Donald Trump defended the tech executive, affirming support for his continued leadership. However, the controversy has drawn strong reactions on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers including Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Michael McCaul calling for congressional testimony and tighter export controls on AI technology to China.