Nvidia investigates CEO Jensen Huang over relationship
Nvidia said it is investigating CEO Jensen Huang after he confirmed an intimate relationship with a woman accused of working for Chinese intelligence.
At a glance
- Nvidia said it is investigating CEO Jensen Huang after he confirmed an intimate relationship.
- The probe involves Nvidia's independent directors and examines possible national security risks.
- The investigation follows a New York Times report about a Chinese woman and AI chip concerns.
Nvidia, the United States-based chipmaker, said on Sunday it is investigating Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang after he confirmed he had an intimate relationship with a woman accused of working for Chinese intelligence.
The probe would be led by a committee of independent directors with outside counsel, Nvidia said. The board said it had no reason to believe national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, but the inquiry would examine all available information.
Nvidia said it continued to have confidence in Huang and his leadership team. Huang will continue to lead the company during the probe.
The investigation follows a New York Times report last month that Huang may have been the target of a Chinese espionage plot. The newspaper said a Chinese woman named Alice Huang, or Huang Le, sought to cultivate close ties with Huang to glean information about Nvidia's technology.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, has denied any allegations of spying in the case. The New York Times also reported that Alice Huang's employer, Megaspeed, had become one of Nvidia's largest buyers, purchasing about $4.8 billion in equipment from Nvidia.
Jensen Huang's ties to Alice Huang, who is of no relation, spurred fierce bipartisan backlash in the US Congress after the report. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said Congress needs answers and legislation to stop advanced American technology from going to China.
Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives also called on Huang to appear and testify before Congress about the affair on November 18. They said it was vital that Congress determine the extent to which US national security had been placed at risk.
In an email to Nvidia staff on Sunday, Huang admitted to having an extramarital relationship. He said he was unfaithful to his wife and that his actions hurt her and their children, adding there was no excuse.
Nvidia has grown rapidly in recent years with the rise of AI, producing chips for large language models developed by companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and Google. Huang has also worked closely with US President Donald Trump since the Republican leader returned to office in 2025.
After the midterm elections last Tuesday, stocks for AI-related companies, including Nvidia, tumbled. Nvidia lost $450 billion in market value in a single trading day last week, but rebounded on Friday, regaining 4 percent of its losses.
When asked about whether Huang would accompany him to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China, Trump was noncommittal. Trump said he had not heard Huang had done anything wrong and called him a fine person who had done an amazing job for the country.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Why is Nvidia investigating Jensen Huang?
- Nvidia said it is investigating CEO Jensen Huang after he confirmed an intimate relationship with a woman accused of working for Chinese intelligence.
- What did the New York Times report about Jensen Huang?
- The New York Times reported last month that Jensen Huang may have been the target of a Chinese espionage plot.
- Did Nvidia say its secrets were compromised?
- Nvidia said the board had no reason to believe national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, but the inquiry would examine all available information.
