Nvidia’s board of directors has launched an independent investigation after reports alleged that CEO Jensen Huang had been targeted by a Chinese intelligence operation involving Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman with whom he reportedly had a romantic relationship. The development follows revelations that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had warned senior Trump administration officials about the relationship and suspected espionage activities.
Nvidia announced the investigation on Sunday, saying a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, would oversee the inquiry. The company said it had no reason to believe that US national security or Nvidia’s confidential information had been compromised.
Marco Rubio Warned Trump Administration Officials
According to The New York Times, Rubio oversaw the drafting of a highly classified memo circulated among senior administration officials last spring. The document reportedly warned that Jensen Huang was in a close relationship with Alice Huang, who US intelligence agencies believed had been recruited by China’s top intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security.
The memo was based on classified intelligence gathered through electronic surveillance of Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen and senior executive at Singapore-based company Megaspeed. US officials suspected that the company was involved in illegally smuggling restricted Nvidia chips into China.
The report said Rubio’s involvement highlighted the extent to which concerns about the relationship and potential espionage had reached senior levels of the US government.
Alice Huang’s Company Bought $2 Billion Worth Of Nvidia Chips
Megaspeed reportedly purchased approximately $2 billion worth of Nvidia products despite having a limited local presence and essentially operating out of a storefront office.
The company builds data centers across Southeast Asia and rents computing capacity to Alibaba, the Chinese internet giant. US officials suspect Megaspeed has been helping smuggle advanced Nvidia chips, whose exports to China are restricted over national security concerns.
Alice Huang reportedly developed relationships with senior executives across the AI chip industry. In 2024, she was photographed with Jensen Huang and other industry executives at a bar in Taipei. Around the same time, her company began making multibillion-dollar purchases of advanced AI chips.
Nvidia has previously maintained that Jensen Huang’s interactions with customers, including Alice Huang, were not unusual. The company has also said that customers such as Megaspeed do not receive classified business information.
Jensen Huang Apologizes To Wife And Nvidia Employees
In a memo shared with employees, Jensen Huang acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife and apologized to his family.
“I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did,” he wrote.
He also apologized to Nvidia colleagues, board members, partners and shareholders, saying he had fallen short of his responsibilities and would work to regain their trust.
An Nvidia spokesperson said the developments would not affect the company’s operations and that Huang remained committed to continuing as CEO without interruption.
