Nvidia Corp. announced Sunday it has launched an independent investigation to assess whether its founder and Chief Executive Officer, Jensen Huang, was targeted by foreign espionage following reports linking him to an alleged Chinese intelligence operative.

The board of directors is establishing a committee of independent directors, assisted by external legal counsel, to lead the review. The decision follows a memo Huang sent to Nvidia staff in which he admitted to an extramarital affair and offered an apology to his family, employees, and shareholders.

"I owe my family and all of you an apology," Huang wrote in an internal email obtained by news outlets. "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. I have no excuses for what I did."

Huang stated he takes "full responsibility" for his actions, acknowledging he failed to uphold his obligations to Nvidia's staff, board, and investors. He added that he fully supports the review and is committed to cooperating with the inquiry.

The corporate probe follows calls from senior House Republicans for Huang to testify before Congress after a report by The New York Times detailed his relationship with an alleged Chinese operative identified as Alice Huang (Huang Le). According to the report, she sought to gather intelligence and potentially lobby for the easing of U.S. export restrictions on Nvidia's advanced artificial intelligence semiconductors to China.

Nvidia stated that the board currently has no reason to believe U.S. national security or proprietary corporate secrets have been compromised, but emphasized the investigation will thoroughly review all available information.

"Today’s news will not slow Nvidia down," John Rizzo, Nvidia's head of public policy communications, said in a statement. He added that Huang remains committed to leading the company without operational disruption.