Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Embroiled in Probe Involving Alleged Chinese Spy

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has acknowledged an affair with a former executive at a Singapore-based company, Megaspeed, which is under scrutiny over alleged links to China. In a message to Nvidia employees, Huang admitted to being unfaithful to his wife, Lori, with whom he has been married since 1985. He expressed deep regret for his actions, stating they hurt his family.

The woman involved, Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, was a senior executive at Megaspeed, a data center company spun off from a Chinese company in 2023. US intelligence officials reportedly concluded that she was passing information to China. According to The New York Times, a memo circulated among senior US officials cited intelligence that Alice Huang was an asset of China’s Ministry of State Security, recruited to gather information on Huang and possibly influence Nvidia’s business dealings.

Nvidia had previously described Huang's interactions with Alice Huang as "not unusual or unexpected" given their business ties. However, The Wall Street Journal reported that they were photographed together in Taipei in 2024 and 2025. US officials suspect Megaspeed of helping smuggle restricted chips into China, and the Justice Department has taken over a federal investigation into the company. Megaspeed has described itself as a "compliant and legitimate company."

The probe is significant given Nvidia's dominant position in the market for chips used to train and run AI models, estimated to be around 90 percent. The US has restricted sales of advanced chips to China since 2022 under the Biden administration. Huang has also been an influential informal adviser on AI to former US President Donald Trump. The Journal reported that intelligence officials suspected the affair while Huang was lobbying the White House to allow chip exports to China.

Trump was briefed on the intelligence roughly a year ago but did not act on it. When asked about Huang's role as CEO, Trump said he thought Huang should remain in his position, calling him "an honorable guy." Trump also stated that he did not regret not acting on the intelligence. Nvidia's board has opened an independent probe into the matter, led by a committee of independent directors working with outside counsel.

The board's inquiry will examine all available information, although it has no reason to believe that national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised. Huang will remain CEO during the review. Republican House committee leaders have asked Huang to attend a closed-door briefing on Nvidia’s security protocols in Washington on November 18. Analysts predict that the episode will lead to multiple congressional inquiries.

The outcome of the probe and potential implications for Huang's role at Nvidia remain uncertain. Analyst Dan Ives of Yorkville Ives predicted that Huang would likely keep his job in the near term but could be ousted depending on the internal inquiry’s findings. George Chen of The Asia Group told AFP it would be "premature to conclude that Jensen poses a threat to US national security before the facts are fully established."

Key points

• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang acknowledges affair with former executive amid US probe into alleged Chinese spy activities.
• US intelligence officials suspect the woman involved, Alice Huang, was passing information to China.
• The probe may lead to multiple congressional inquiries and potentially impact Huang's role as CEO.