The head of Nvidia admitted to cheating on his wife. The company launched an investigation after reports of his relationship with an alleged Chinese spy.
Nvidia's board of directors has launched an independent investigation to determine whether CEO Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence operation. According to the New York Times, Huang admitted to the board that he had an intimate relationship with Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, who, according to the conclusions of the US intelligence services, worked for Chinese intelligence.
In an address to employees, Huang admitted that he cheated on his wife and said that he takes "full responsibility" for his actions. Huang will continue to lead Nvidia during the investigation. The board said it still sees no reason to believe company secrets have been compromised or that US national security is at risk.
The New York Times first reported Huang's relationship with Alice Huang in October. According to the newspaper, US intelligence agencies determined during surveillance that Huang was passing information directly to Beijing.
According to a secret memo reported by the NYT, she was recruited by China's Ministry of State Security to contact the head of Nvidia. In late October, Huang told Bloomberg that their communication was related to the work of Singapore's Mega Speed, where Huang held a leadership role.
Mega Speed has become one of Nvidia's largest customers in Southeast Asia, purchasing more than $4.8 billion worth of chips since June 2024. Nvidia itself manufactures graphics processors, which, among other things, train and operate neural networks. Riding the AI boom, it became the world's most valuable public company for the first time in June 2024.