Trump says FBI probes Nvidia CEO's alleged Chinese spy tie

By Daniel Okafor

The FBI is investigating Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang's affair with alleged Chinese spy Alice Huang, Donald Trump said.

BBC reported that the revelations knocked roughly $250bn (£190bn) off Nvidia's market value on Monday as its shares fell about 4%.

Trump said he spoke with Huang on Monday after reports that the US believed he had been targeted in a Chinese espionage campaign.

Trump told reporters: "I asked him that question, 'Did you have any idea she was a spy?' He said 'I had no idea she was a spy' and I really believe him."

China's foreign ministry rejected the allegations as "entirely groundless, speculative and intended to smear and malign China".

Nvidia commissioned an independent investigation into the affair involving Alice Huang. The company said it had no reason to believe its secrets or national security were compromised.

What did Trump say about the FBI inquiry?

Trump later told reporters at the White House that the FBI was now looking into the issue. He did not elaborate on the probe or say when it began. The FBI declined to comment when the BBC contacted it.

Trump said reporters asked him multiple times, including the BBC, when he learned of the relationship. He said he was informed "over a period of time", but gave no specific date.

After the investigations, Trump said he thought Huang was an "honorable guy and I feel very confident that he will be in good shape". He also said: "I hope there's no problem, I believe he is suffering greatly."

Trump described Monday's call as an attempt to check on Huang. He said he called "just to see if he's feeling alright, how you doing, and I asked him about that and he said he absolutely had no idea that the person in question was a spy".

Trump added he was "sure" Chinese President Xi Jinping would "ask me about it" when they next met.

What did US intelligence reporting establish?

US intelligence officials believe Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, was a spy for Beijing, the New York Times reported.

The New York Times said Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a memo to top officials in Washington last spring. It warned that Huang was in a close relationship with a Chinese spy.

Alice Huang was managing director of Singaporean company Megaspeed, which had dealings with Nvidia. The BBC described Nvidia as central to global AI development through its microchips.

BBC reporting also said Washington officials treat Nvidia's exports to Beijing as a national-security matter, making the company a major focus in the US-China AI rivalry.

What must Huang explain to Congress?

Huang admitted he was "unfaithful" to his wife and apologized for hurting his wife and their children.

On Monday, he said he was "committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting America's national security" and would cooperate with the investigation Nvidia had launched.

Several Congressional committees requested that Huang appear jointly for a closed-door briefing next week. Their chairmen said they sought a briefing "on Nvidia's security protocols against foreign adversary espionage and your interactions with a publicly reported People's Republic of China (PRC) intelligence asset: Megaspeed executive Alice Huang".

It remained unclear whether Huang would appear. The BBC had contacted Nvidia and the committees.

Why does this matter to Nvidia's AI business?

BBC reported that Huang and two other engineers founded Nvidia in 1993. The company first designed computer chips for gaming, then shifted toward AI development, turning it into one of the world's most valuable and powerful companies.

That rise came only recently. The AI buildout made Nvidia's chips so valuable that the White House previously imposed controls on where the company could sell advanced products.

The H200, Nvidia's second most advanced semiconductor, had been restricted over concerns that it would give China's technology industry an edge over the US.

Huang has long opposed restricting sales to China. He argues the global rollout of AI would be better powered by US technology.

In January, the Trump administration said it would allow Nvidia to sell H200 chips to Chinese customers under certain conditions.

The relationship inquiry therefore reaches beyond Huang's personal conduct. Congressional chairmen asked directly about Nvidia's security protocols against foreign-adversary espionage and Huang's interactions with a reported PRC intelligence asset.

The next checkpoints are the FBI inquiry, Nvidia's independent review and Huang's response to the closed-door congressional request. The H200 policy gives the affair a direct commercial dimension.