US intelligence reportedly circulated a memo this past spring alleging Alice Huang was an asset of China's Ministry of State Security.

The Nvidia CEO admitted to having had a relationship with Huang — to whom he bears no familial relation — in a note to Nvidia employees Sunday, writing: "I was unfaithful to my wife."

The same day Nvidia's board of directors said in a statement that they'd launched "an independent investigation in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort."

"I support the investigation and will cooperate fully. I love our country and our company," Huang wrote in his statement. He has also been called on by Congress to provide a closed-door briefing on his interactions with Alice Huang, the Times reported.

As the artificial intelligence industry surge has spurred Nvidia's stock prices to new heights, Huang has appeared at US President Donald Trump's side at White House events, as recently as last month when he accepted a National Medal of Science from the Republican leader.

Huang was among the world's most influential tech leaders — including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg — who vowed to self-regulate AI against possible threats, as Trump rejected calls for government oversight and dismissed warnings the technology could wipe out humanity.

Nvidia shareholders filed a class action lawsuit against Huang and the AI chip maker for failing to disclose information about the relationship to investors.

Nvidia shares have plummeted in recent days since Huang admitted to the affair.

Nvidia designs advanced components originally created to handle 3D visuals in video games, called Graphics Processing Units (GPUs).

Nvidia's processors are mostly made by Taiwanese company TSMC, the world's largest contract manufacturer of chips.