Nvidia's board of directors announced Sunday that it is opening an independent investigation following reports that CEO Jensen Huang was targeted by a foreign intelligence effort, and hours later President Donald Trump publicly defended Huang, calling him an honorable guy who has done an amazing job for the country. Trump said he would support bringing Huang on his upcoming trip through Asia and when asked by reporters if he wished he had acted on intelligence about Alice Huang, the president said no. The investigation comes after The New York Times and Financial Times reported that Huang had a relationship with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman the newspapers said had been recruited to spy for China. The two are not related.
A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside counsel, will oversee the investigation, which Nvidia said will examine whether national security or company secrets were compromised. The company stated it has no reason to believe either was compromised but called national and economic security paramount to its interests. A person familiar with the matter told NBC News that U.S. intelligence agencies had determined that Alice Huang was a Chinese spy and had a relationship with Nvidia's Jensen Huang.
In a memo to employees that Nvidia shared publicly, Huang acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife. The Financial Times reported that the U.S. government believed Jensen Huang had a romantic relationship with Alice Huang, whose Singapore-based company was buying Nvidia's advanced chips. U.S. intelligence agencies found she had been recruited by China's top intelligence agency, according to the reports. The New York Times reported that concerns inside the U.S. government about Alice Huang and Jensen Huang rose as high as Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Nvidia has been at the center of the artificial intelligence boom, producing the world's most sought-after chips. Its top-tier products are mostly restricted from sale to China due to national security concerns, while China has set a 2030 deadline to surpass American AI capabilities. Nvidia is the world's second-largest publicly traded company, worth nearly $4.5 trillion as of Friday.
Before Sunday's announcement, congressional Republicans had already requested a briefing from Huang. Representative John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, said the reports raise significant national security concerns regarding China's access to sensitive U.S. technology and information. A Nvidia spokesperson said the news would not slow the company and that Huang is committed to continuing as CEO without interruption.