US chipmaker Nvidia investigates CEO Jensen Huang over affair
US chipmaker Nvidia is investigating CEO Jensen Huang after he confirmed an intimate relationship with a woman accused of working for Chinese intelligence.
The investigation will be conducted by a committee of independent directors with outside counsel, according to Nvidia's announcement on Sunday. While the board has no reason to believe national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, the inquiry will examine all available information.
Huang will continue to lead Nvidia during the probe. The board expressed continued confidence in Jensen and his leadership team. This follows a report in The New York Times last month suggesting Jensen may have been the target of a Chinese espionage plot.
Espionage allegations
The New York Times reported that a Chinese woman named Alice Huang, or Huang Le, sought to cultivate close ties with Jensen Huang to glean information about Nvidia's technology. The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC has denied any allegations of spying in the case.
Alice Huang's employer, Megaspeed, had become one of Nvidia's largest buyers, purchasing some $4.8bn in equipment from the US firm. The relationship between the two Huangs, who are not related, has sparked fierce bipartisan backlash in the US Congress.
Congressional response
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren stated that bipartisan members of Congress have raised concerns about NVIDIA's advanced AI chips going to China. She added that NVIDIA's Jensen Huang and NVIDIA's board owe Congress answers. Republican lawmakers have called on Huang to testify before Congress on November 18.
It is vital that Congress determines the extent to which US national security has been placed at risk.
Huang's admission
In an email to Nvidia staff, Huang admitted to having an extramarital relationship. I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did, he wrote.
Nvidia has grown rapidly with the rise of AI, producing chips for companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and Google. Huang has worked closely with US President Donald Trump since Trump returned to office in 2025.
Trump has defended Huang, calling him a fine person who has done an amazing job for our country. When asked if Huang would accompany him to November's APEC summit in China, Trump replied, I haven't heard he's done anything wrong. He dealt with somebody, but so does everybody else.
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