Nvidia Launches Independent Probe After CEO Affair with Alleged Chinese Spy

Nvidia has initiated an independent investigation into the relationship between its chief executive and an executive at one of its largest customers. The probe follows public confirmation that Jensen Huang, the 63-year-old head of the chipmaker, was involved in a romantic affair with Alice Huang, a Megaspeed employee.

The board stated it has no reason to believe that national security or company secrets were compromised. However, the inquiry will review all available information regarding the connection. Nvidia confirmed that the two individuals are not related.

Alice Huang serves as an executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based firm that purchases Nvidia’s high-performance chips. Previous reports indicated that Megaspeed may have diverted some of these chips to China, potentially violating US export restrictions. Nvidia and Megaspeed both denied that rule-breaking occurred.

US officials reportedly believed Alice Huang was an asset for Chinese intelligence. The New York Times reported last month that American authorities had shared this assessment with President Donald Trump. The president was informed of the potential threat but did not take action at that time.

The New York Times also reported that Nvidia successfully lobbied the US Commerce Department to pause an investigation into Megaspeed’s chip purchases. A Trump appointee facilitated this communication, allowing Nvidia to discuss the case directly with the agency.

Jensen Huang maintains a frequent schedule with the president. The two have met at least seven times since the start of the second term. Huang has traveled on Air Force One and spoken with Trump during public appearances. Four of these meetings focused on the US regulations governing the export of advanced AI chips.

Under the administration of former President Joe Biden, the Chips Act introduced strict limits on what semiconductor technologies US companies could sell overseas. These rules aimed to prevent technology from reaching China. For Nvidia, this reduced access to a market that represented roughly a quarter of its revenue between 2020 and 2022.

The policy environment shifted under the current administration. President Trump allowed Nvidia to export previously banned chips to China in exchange for a share of the revenue. The company agreed to provide 15 percent of its sales income to the US government for these exports. Later, Trump agreed to allow the export of the more powerful H200 chips in return for 25 percent of the revenue.

Jensen Huang admitted there was no excuse for his conduct. The two were first photographed together in mid-2024. Footage from a restaurant in Taipei showed them interacting about five months after Trump took office. This timing coincided with the period when Nvidia was negotiating the terms for selling H200 chips to China.