Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into reports that CEO Jensen Huang was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.
The company’s board announced the investigation on November 8, shortly after Huang admitted to employees that he had been unfaithful to his wife. Huang has not been removed as CEO and has pledged to cooperate with the review.
The investigation follows reports about Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, a former executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based Nvidia customer. US intelligence officials reportedly believed she was passing information to Beijing. The two Huangs are not related.
Nvidia says secrets were not compromised
Nvidia said its investigation will be overseen by independent directors and outside legal counsel. The board said it has “no reason to believe” that national security or Nvidia’s company secrets were compromised, while adding that it would review all available information.
The board also said Huang supports the investigation and remains in charge of the company.
In a message to Nvidia employees, Huang wrote that he had been unfaithful to his wife and that his actions had hurt her and their children. He said he took full responsibility, apologized to his colleagues and shareholders, and remained committed to leading Nvidia.
“Regarding the national security concerns raised in news reports,” Huang wrote, “Nvidia’s Board of Directors has initiated an independent investigation.” He also asked for privacy for his family.
The allegations first emerged in an October New York Times report claiming US intelligence agencies had concluded Alice Huang was a Chinese intelligence asset. Megaspeed has purchased more than $4.8 billion worth of Nvidia chips over the past two years, according to the report. The Financial Times later reported that a US intelligence memo alleged Jensen Huang and Alice Huang had a romantic relationship.
Nvidia previously described Huang’s interactions with Alice Huang as ordinary business contact. Huang also told Bloomberg that Nvidia had examined Megaspeed’s GPU deployments and found no evidence that its chips had been illegally diverted to China.
China’s Foreign Ministry called the allegations “unsubstantiated” and described them as smears. Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs also said its officials had not claimed Alice Huang was a Chinese intelligence asset and had not investigated her personally, although authorities confirmed that investigations into Megaspeed were ongoing.
Congress requests briefing from Jensen Huang
Three House committee chairs have requested a closed-door briefing with Huang on November 18. They want answers about his interactions with Alice Huang and Nvidia’s security procedures for preventing foreign espionage.
The lawmakers asked Huang to accept the date or propose an alternative by November 11. There is currently no indication that Huang plans to step down while Nvidia’s internal investigation continues.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
