Nvidia board to investigate CEO Jensen Huang over relationship at centre of China spy reports

Nvidia’s board has opened an independent investigation into chief executive Jensen Huang after he admitted to an extramarital affair, following reports linking him to a woman US intelligence reportedly believed may have worked for Beijing. “I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children,” Huang wrote in an email to employees on Sunday. “I am deeply sorry.” Last month, The New York Times reported that US intelligence believed Alice Huang, a former executive at Nvidia chip customer Megaspeed, may have acted as an intelligence asset for the Chinese Communist Party. Several outlets report that she is the woman at the centre of the relationship. The spying allegation has not been proven, and no response from her or Megaspeed has been reported. The board said a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside counsel, will lead the probe. It added that it has no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised. The affair has drawn bipartisan scrutiny in Congress, where Nvidia has lobbied to sell advanced AI chips to China despite US restrictions. Analyst Dan Ives called it a “black eye” for Huang and said there is “clearly risk” he could be removed, depending on the investigation’s findings.