Nvidia probes Jensen Huang over alleged affair and China spy claim

By Amara Osei

Nvidia, the multi-trillion-dollar chipmaker, has opened an internal investigation into chief executive Jensen Huang over an alleged extramarital affair with Alice Huang, the former CEO of Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed. The report identifies Alice Huang, who is not related to Jensen Huang, as a woman alleged to be a Chinese spy. China denies that she engaged in espionage.

Huang says he will cooperate with the inquiry and wants to keep his job. The report says the affair breaches Nvidia’s code of conduct, which bars employees from having relationships with clients.

What does the affair change for AI competition?

The dispute sits inside the US-China race to develop the most capable AI models. US President Donald Trump said: “Whoever wins AI, wins.” He argues that the country with dominant AI technology will benefit most and ultimately become the world’s most powerful.

The report describes Nvidia’s AI chips as the best in the business, with demand overwhelming the company. Its latest data-centre systems start at £37,000 ($50,000) per unit; a medium or large site might contain hundreds of them.

The US administration initially banned exports of Nvidia’s more recent devices to stop China from exploiting their capabilities. It has since softened the rules somewhat.

The report says there are suggestions that Megaspeed helped move the devices into China while Alice Huang was in charge. Bloomberg reported that Megaspeed bought billions of dollars of Nvidia technology in November 2025; Megaspeed denies that it used the chips illegitimately.

Huang has lobbied heavily for the export rules to be relaxed. He has argued against the view that the AI race does not matter and that China becoming dependent on US technology would be no bad thing. “President Trump wants American to win and President Xi wants China to win, and it’s possible for both of them to do so,” he told the BBC last year.

Did Alice Huang obtain restricted Nvidia technology?

The central unresolved issue is whether Alice Huang gained special access to Nvidia’s latest technology through Jensen Huang, deliberately or otherwise. If she did, investigators must determine whether she shared it with Beijing or other parties.

The report says the affair’s start and end dates remain unknown. It cites numerous photos and videos of the pair at events, alongside Huang’s comments about always keeping an eye on his work, as possible indications of time together.

Economic espionage is neither new nor unique to China. Many Western countries say China pursues it on a grand scale through technology and agents embedded in organizations, including private companies.

Access to significant quantities of Nvidia chips could let China use them or strip them down to develop its own versions. The report says that outcome would infuriate the Trump administration, which wants to keep US AI technology closely held.

According to the report, the US withheld some AI models from the UK-based AI Safety Institute because they were considered potentially too dangerous to share. It says the US wants to prevent other parties from gaining a head start or misusing its innovations.

Can Jensen Huang remain Nvidia’s chief?

Another potential issue is any national security information Huang may have received. The report places him among the handful of people who could visit the White House unannounced for tea with Trump, with influence, access and powerful friends.

The report says it is possible that secrets were shared with him. Nvidia says it has found no evidence so far that Huang passed anything on.

The report says Nvidia’s board and Trump are backing Huang. Trump described him as honourable and speculated that there must have been a reason for what transpired.

The report notes that Nvidia’s share price has fallen but has not tanked spectacularly. It interprets the reaction as evidence that shareholders are not abandoning Huang’s stewardship in droves.

The report says a weakened Nvidia would slow the AI industry. There is no natural successor waiting to replace Huang if the inquiry forces him out.

Huang has run Nvidia for more than 30 years, and to many he is Nvidia. He has steered it through multiple crises and chose to focus the company on AI before the field became trendy.

The report portrays Huang as a demanding chief who expects long hours and exacting standards. Stories recounted in the account describe him calling all-staff meetings to single out employees who had made mistakes.

He said he did so to prevent others from repeating the errors. The contrast with his own conduct now sits at the center of the inquiry.

The report describes the case as a potential honey trap, combining an alleged affair with an espionage accusation. The next concrete test is whether investigators establish that Alice Huang received special access, diverted chips or passed information.

Nvidia must also decide whether Huang can stay after conduct that appears to breach its client-relations code. The findings will determine whether the episode exposes broader weaknesses in chip export enforcement or sensitive-model access.