Nvidia’s board of directors said on Sunday that it has opened an independent investigation following reports that CEO Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort. A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside counsel, will oversee the review. The board said it has no reason to believe national security or Nvidia’s secrets were compromised, and that Huang has committed to cooperating. Huang stays on as CEO, and the company told CNBC his leadership will continue without interruption.
In a message to employees released the same day, Huang apologised for being unfaithful to his wife, said he supports the investigation, and said he is committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting US national security. Neither the board’s statement nor Huang’s message names anyone else.
The reporting behind the review comes from The New York Times and the Financial Times. Both reported that US intelligence agencies concluded Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen and former executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed, was passing information to Beijing, and that US officials believed she had a romantic relationship with Jensen Huang. The two are not related. Megaspeed is among Nvidia’s biggest customers in Southeast Asia and bought more than $4.8 billion of its chips over the past two years, according to the Times, which also reported that concern over the matter reached Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Asked about it on Sunday, Rubio called it an “internal corporate matter.” The claims about Alice Huang rest on those reports and unnamed officials, and Nvidia’s statement does not address her.
NPR’s summary of the Times reporting says it alleges an intelligence operation aimed at getting advanced Nvidia chips into China. That ties the story to Nvidia’s export position. Washington allowed limited H200 shipments to China under licence after a long freeze, with Blackwell kept off-limits, and has reportedly placed hidden trackers in some AI chip shipments to catch diversion. The board’s statement says nothing on Megaspeed’s purchases or on export compliance.
Nvidia shares had not traded on the news at the time of writing. The company reports fiscal third-quarter results on November 17, with its call at 2 p.m. PT. The board said it will provide further updates on the investigation as appropriate.