Nvidia chip company CEO’s affair with Chinese spy:Huang apologises to wife; who is chinese ‘spy’

Jensen Huang, CEO of leading global chipmaker Nvidia, had an affair with a Chinese woman. US intelligence agencies suspect that the woman was spying for China and used her closeness to Huang to pass important information linked to him to China. After the matter came to light, Nvidia’s board launched an investigation into Huang. According to a report by The New York Times, Huang admitted to the affair with the woman before the company’s board on Sunday. He also apologised to his wife and children. Jensen Huang said that “I betrayed my wife. My actions caused pain to her and my children. I have no excuse for what I did. I regret it.” Report prepared under Rubio’s oversight mentions espionage plot A confidential report was prepared this year under the supervision of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The report said that China’s intelligence agency had prepared Alice Huang to get close to Jensen Huang. It was given to officials shortly before Trump’s visit to China. Nvidia’s board said that, so far, there was no indication that any confidential company information or information related to US security had been leaked. Even so, an external lawyer will be appointed to investigate the matter. Jensen Huang will co-operate with the investigation and remain CEO. Intelligence agency had been monitoring Chinese woman According to the report, the woman’s name is Alice Huang. She is also known as Huang Le. US officials claim that she was working for China’s Ministry of State Security. US intelligence agencies had been monitoring her for more than a year. During this period, they discovered that she was sending information directly to China. According to the woman’s online profile, she had worked as a television reporter in China. She later became a senior executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed. The company is among Nvidia’s major customers in Southeast Asia. Since June 2024, Megaspeed has bought more than $4.8 billion worth of chips from Nvidia. The US Department of Commerce had already been investigating whether Megaspeed was helping deliver restricted AI chips to China. Nvidia continued doing business with Megaspeed even after the US government investigation began. Jensen Huang and Alice Huang are not related. Chinese businesswoman is a spy: NYT citing memo The Chinese businesswoman, with whom Huang had alleged ties, was recruited as a spy for China’s Ministry of State Security, The New York Times reported, citing a memo circulated among policymakers in the Trump administration. Trump says Huang did ‘a fantastic job’ for America Speaking to reporters on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said he had not heard of Huang doing anything wrong. Trump also said he would take Huang with him on his next visit to China. When asked whether Huang should remain Nvidia’s CEO, he said, “Yes, absolutely.” US lawmakers also raised questions over the matter After the matter came to light, US lawmakers sought answers from Huang and Nvidia. Senator Elizabeth Warren said Huang and the company’s board should answer to Congress over the matter. Meanwhile, Republican lawmaker Michael McCaul said that the Chinese Communist Party uses such methods. He demanded that the export of advanced AI chips to China be halted until a full investigation into the matter is completed. Huang’s wife and children hold senior positions at the company Jensen Huang, 63, founded Nvidia in 1993. As demand for AI grew, the company expanded rapidly and became one of the world’s most valuable companies over the past three years. Huang’s profile also rose worldwide. His close ties with US President Donald Trump have also been the subject of discussion. Huang’s family is also connected with Nvidia. His son Spencer is the company’s director of product management and oversees robotics-related work. His daughter Madison is a senior director. In addition to robotics, she also oversees the company’s marketing and publicity. His son-in-law, Niko Caprez, is part of the company’s business development team. Huang married Lori in 1985. They met while studying at Oregon State University. Huang has said several times that his wife gave him complete support in building Nvidia.