Huang, 63, has admitted to being unfaithful to his wife but has not disclosed details of the relationship. Nvidia’s board announced an independent investigation on Sunday into whether the chief executive had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation. The company said it had confidence in Huang.
The controversy follows a New York Times report that Huang had a relationship with Alice Huang, an unrelated former executive of Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed. US authorities reportedly concluded that she was a Chinese intelligence asset. Megaspeed has been examined over suspicions that it helped China access advanced AI chips restricted under US export controls.
Trump’s close relationship with Huang has also come under scrutiny. The Nvidia chief has been a regular presence in Washington as the company sought to expand sales of advanced chips to China. He travelled with Trump to China in May and attended a White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping in September.
The New York Times reported that Trump had been briefed on Huang’s relationship with the woman and that she was passing information to the Chinese government, but chose not to act on it.
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Huang’s relationship with Trump has coincided with favourable policy developments for Nvidia, including the administration’s decision to allow exports of its H200 processors to China in exchange for a 25% fee. Trump also awarded Huang the nation’s highest honour for scientific achievement in October.
Nvidia shares fell more than 4% on Monday, hitting a seven-month low. The company’s board said it had no reason to believe US national security or its trade secrets had been compromised.
The controversy has prompted calls for congressional scrutiny. Senator Chris Coons said he was pushing to investigate Huang and Nvidia to determine whether national security had been compromised. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries also called for more answers and urged passage of a defence bill containing restrictions on chip sales to China.
Nvidia shareholders have separately filed a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing Huang and the company of concealing his ties to the woman.
China has rejected the allegations. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun called the Chinese spy narrative “a groundless accusation, slander, and a smear”.
