Nvidia board launches probe after CEO admits contact with Chinese intelligence asset

Employees at Nvidia received a written apology from CEO Jensen Huang on Sunday after he acknowledged a romantic relationship with a business executive. Huang told the company that he was unfaithful to his wife and that his actions hurt her and their children. He stated there was no excuse for his behavior and expressed deep regret.

The board of directors announced it is opening a formal investigation into the matter. The inquiry was triggered after Huang informed directors that he had been intimate with Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen and chip buyer. U.S. intelligence agencies determined that Alice Huang was gathering information for Beijing and passing it directly to the government. The two Huangs are not related.

Alice Huang worked as a television reporter in China before becoming a top executive at Megaspeed. Megaspeed is a Singapore-based data center company that has become one of Nvidia's largest customers in Southeast Asia. The company purchased more than $4.8 billion worth of Nvidia chips over the past two years.

The board stated it has no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised. However, the review will examine all available information. Directors said Jensen Huang fully supports the process and has committed to cooperating. He will remain CEO while the investigation is ongoing.

The discovery emerged from reports published last month by The New York Times. The outlet detailed how intelligence agencies identified the close relationship between the Nvidia chief and the Megaspeed executive. The board’s statement confirmed the timeline of Huang's disclosures to the directors.