New York (AFP) - The board of directors of the American chip giant Nvidia announced on Sunday the opening of an internal investigation into its CEO and co-founder Jensen Huang after he admitted to having a relationship with a woman who American officials say works for Chinese intelligence, something Beijing denied.

Published on: 09/11/2026 - 11:11 Last updated: 10/11/2026 - 00:48

Late last month, the New York Times reported that US intelligence officials concluded that Alice Huang, a Chinese executive linked to the Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed, was working for Chinese intelligence and transmitting information to Beijing.

The newspaper reported that the executive, also known as Huang Li, who is not a relative of the Nvidia president, had established a close relationship with Jensen Huang, 63 years old and born in Taiwan.

In a letter to company employees published on Sunday, Huang admitted to having an affair with a woman and apologized to both his family and employees.

He said, "I cheated on my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am very sorry."

Jensen Huang is a very important figure in the world of artificial intelligence and is a close unofficial advisor to US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his refusal to impose regulations on the sector to prevent China from excelling in this field.

The New York Times reported that Alice Huang's relationship with the president of NVIDIA may have given her a glimpse into Trump's trends regarding artificial intelligence.

China rejected the espionage accusations, and its Foreign Ministry spokesman, Gu Jiaqun, told reporters on Monday, “The story about an alleged Chinese spy is slander and distortion that has no basis at all.”

The issue of artificial intelligence is likely to be raised during Trump's scheduled talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a summit hosted by China later this month.

"We don't know what's going on"

When asked on Sunday whether the head of Nvidia would join the US President's trip to Asia, which includes attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Shenzhen, Trump told reporters, "I don't know, but I will definitely take him."

Trump described the CEO of Nvidia as a "good person," and added, "But we don't know what's going on. I hope everything is fine. He did a great job."

For its part, NVIDIA said in a statement that it had opened an independent investigation “in light of recent press reports indicating that founder and CEO Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence operation.”

"While the Board has no reason to believe that national security or Nvidia's secrets were compromised, the Board's investigation will examine all available information," she added.

China is locked in a race with the United States for dominance in the field of technology, while Washington imposes restrictions on the export of the most advanced silicon chips to China.

NVIDIA, the world leader in producing electronic chips used to train and operate artificial intelligence models, is among the world's most valuable companies.

The New York Times report, citing unidentified informed sources, stated that Megaspeed was under scrutiny for potentially directing Nvidia chips used in artificial intelligence to China.

The report stated that Trump was informed of the intelligence findings regarding Huang’s relationship with the businesswoman about a year ago and chose not to act.

Trump confirmed on Sunday that he does not regret not taking action regarding this information. "I think he's an honorable person. I think he has an excuse. It should be heard," he said.

He told reporters on Monday that he spoke with the president of Nvidia and that he was "suffering greatly."

Trump added in a press briefing at the White House, "I asked him, 'Did you have any idea that she was a spy?' He replied, 'I had no idea that she was a spy,' and I believe him."

Repercussions on many levels

On the other hand, Dan Ives, an analyst and director of Yorkville Ives, considered that Huang is currently in a very critical situation.

Ives expected that this would lead, at the very least, to the opening of numerous investigations in Congress and “will put continued pressure on Nvidia shares for several reasons.”

Ives said in a statement that Jensen Huang is likely to remain in his position in the short term, but he faces the risk of being removed from the position of CEO of Nvidia based on the Board of Directors investigation.

He added that this would also lead to "increased scrutiny regarding the sale of electronic chips to China, which is one of the most controversial issues in Washington."

For his part, George Chen, head of the Digital Affairs Department at the Asia Group, told Agence France-Presse, “It is too early to conclude that Jensen poses a threat to American national security before the facts are fully confirmed.”

"When you become well-known, you naturally become a target," Chen said.

He added, "The main questions are whether he was aware of any espionage activities and whether any confidential or strategically sensitive information was leaked or hacked."

© 2026 AFP

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