Nvidia opens investigation after reports CEO Jensen Huang was targeted by Chinese intelligence
The board of Nvidia on Sunday said that it was opening an independent investigation following reports that CEO Jensen Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort.The announcement followed reporting by The New York Times and the Financial Times about Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, a Chinese business woman whom the outlets reported had been recruited to spy for China.The two are not related.NBC News has not confirmed either report and has reached out to the Trump administration for comment.“The NVIDIA Board is initiating an independent investigation in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort,” the company said in a statement.“A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, will oversee the investigation.
The Board prioritizes U.S.national and economic security, which is paramount to the interests of NVIDIA and its shareholders.”The company added that it “has no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised, the Board’s inquiry will examine all available information.”In memo to Nvidia employees shared by the company with NBC News, Huang said: “I was unfaithful to my wife.
My actions hurt her and our children.There is no excuse for what I did.”The New York Times and the Financial Times reported that Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen whose Singapore-based company was buying Nvidia’s advanced chips, had been under surveillance by U.S.
intelligence agencies.Those agencies, the reports said, found that Alice Huang had been recruited to spy by China’s top intelligence agency.Jensen Huang and Nvidia, for years, have been at the forefront of the artificial intelligence boom.
Nvidia’s products are the most highly-sought after chips in the world, however its top-tier products are mostly restricted from being sold to customers in China due to national security fears.For SubscribersFOR SUBSCRIBE...