Nvidia has opened an independent investigation after reports that its chief executive, Jensen Huang, had a relationship with a woman US intelligence officials suspect of spying for China. Separately, Huang admitted he had been unfaithful to his wife and apologised to her and their children.
The board said it was acting in light of recent reporting that Huang had been the target of a foreign intelligence effort. It added that it had no reason to believe either national security or Nvidia's secrets were compromised, but that its inquiry would examine all available information. The board called US national and economic security paramount to the interests of the company and its shareholders.
Huang said he took full responsibility and had fallen short of his duties to Nvidia's employees, board and shareholders. "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry," he said. He added that he supported the investigation, would cooperate fully, and remained committed to protecting the company and to America's national security.
According to the New York Times, US intelligence officials believed Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, who had a close relationship with the chief executive, was working for China's Ministry of State Security. Surveillance reportedly picked up communications between her and an American citizen, later identified as Jensen Huang through a process known as "unmasking". It remains unclear what information she, also known as Huang Le, allegedly passed to Beijing, how valuable it was, or when she is thought to have begun gathering intelligence. She did not respond to the paper's request for comment.
Alice Huang is linked to the Singapore-based data centre firm Megaspeed, which told the paper last month that its current leadership took the allegations seriously and had appointed external legal advisers to run an internal investigation.
Nvidia is one of the world's largest companies and a central supplier of chips for artificial intelligence, counting OpenAI and Meta among its customers. In February it reported record annual revenue of $215.9bn (£159.1bn). China has previously dismissed allegations of an espionage operation targeting its chief as "groundless speculation".
Last week, three House Republican committee leaders wrote to Huang asking him to appear before them later in the month to discuss Nvidia's security protocols against foreign espionage, citing his reported relationship with Alice Huang. The letter said recent reports raised significant national security concerns over China's access to sensitive US technology and information, and that the issue was core to the committees' investigative work this Congress.
Nvidia's chips have sat at the centre of the US-China rivalry, with Washington imposing controls on where its most advanced products can be sold. The H200, Nvidia's second most advanced semiconductor, had been restricted over concerns it would hand China's technology industry an edge. In January, the Trump administration said it would let the company sell its H200 chips to Chinese customers under certain conditions.
