Nvidia's board has launched an independent investigation into its founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, after reports that he admitted to an affair with a businesswoman suspected of being a Chinese spy. The announcement came after The New York Times cited US intelligence officials who identified Alice Huang as a suspected Chinese intelligence asset.
Investigation Launched by Nvidia Board
The $4.5 trillion American tech giant, the second-largest publicly listed company in the world, said in a statement that the investigation follows reports that Huang has been the target of a "foreign intelligence effort." A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, will oversee the probe.
The board said it has "no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised," but its inquiry will examine all available information. Huang, 63, will remain chief executive during the investigation.
Huang Admits to Affair
According to The New York Times, Huang admitted to the board that he had been intimate with Alice Huang, a Chinese business executive. In a message to the company, he apologized, saying, "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."
The Times reported that US intelligence agencies determined Alice Huang was feeding information directly to Beijing. The two are not related, according to the Times.
Background and Impact
Alice Huang, a former television reporter in China, is a top executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed, which has become one of Nvidia's biggest customers in Southeast Asia. Megaspeed bought more than $4.8 billion (£3.6 billion) worth of Nvidia chips over the past two years, according to the Times.
Nvidia is central to making hardware for emerging AI technologies, and Huang has led the company for more than 30 years. The board said it has confidence in Huang and his leadership team and will provide further updates as appropriate.
