Nvidia’s board is investigating whether chief executive Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence operation. The inquiry was announced on Sunday, shortly after Huang told staff in an email that he had been unfaithful to his wife.
“I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry,” he wrote.
His email did not name the woman. Reports in The New York Times and the Financial Times identify her as Alice Huang, also reported as Huang Le, a Chinese citizen linked to Megaspeed, a Singapore-based cloud and data centre company that buys Nvidia chips. She and the Nvidia boss are not related.
According to those reports, US officials concluded that she was a Chinese intelligence asset who passed information to Beijing. Reuters said it could not independently verify the claims, or her current role at Megaspeed. She did not respond to the New York Times’ request for comment, the BBC reported.
What the board says
A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside counsel, will run the review. “While the Board has no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised, the Board’s inquiry will examine all available information,” the board said in its statement.
Huang stays in post. The board said it has “confidence in Jensen and his leadership team”, and spokesperson John Rizzo said: “Jensen is committed to continuing to lead Nvidia as CEO without interruption.”
In his memo, Huang addressed the security question directly: “Regarding the national security concerns raised in news reports, NVIDIA’s Board of Directors has initiated an independent investigation. I support the investigation and will cooperate fully.”
Beijing denies, shares slip
China rejected the reports on Monday. “The allegations regarding so-called Chinese spies are pure groundless speculation and slander,” foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a press briefing, according to ABC News. The ministry also called the claims “unsubstantiated” and “smears against China.”
Investors reacted quickly. Nvidia shares were down around 5% in premarket trading on Monday, CNBC reported, and were last quoted 4.8% lower before the open.
Asked about the story, President Donald Trump said he had not spoken to Huang. “I just know he’s a fine person, but you never know what’s going on,” he told reporters, the BBC reported.
The Megaspeed link
Megaspeed was already under scrutiny. US authorities have been investigating whether it helped Chinese firms get access to advanced Nvidia AI chips that are barred from shipment to China, Reuters reported. Trade records cited by The New York Times show a Malaysian affiliate bought at least $4.8 billion of AI equipment containing Nvidia technology between June 2024 and February 2026.
Nvidia has said the export-control concerns about Megaspeed were investigated before. Singapore police are separately looking into the company, but Singapore has said it did not investigate the intelligence allegations about Alice Huang.
The timing is awkward for Nvidia. Three Republican House committee chairs have asked Huang to give lawmakers a closed-door briefing on 18 November, CNBC reported. The company reports third-quarter earnings a day earlier, on 17 November.
Why it matters
Nvidia makes the chips at the centre of US export controls on China, and Huang has lobbied for looser rules. If the board or Congress finds he was targeted, that finding will feed straight into the fight over who gets to buy those chips.
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