Nvidia board probes CEO spy claims

Nvidia has launched an independent board investigation into its chief executive, Jensen Huang, following allegations that he maintained a close relationship with a Chinese businesswoman identified by U.S. officials as an intelligence asset.

The probe comes as the Federal Bureau of Investigation continues its own inquiry into the matter. Officials concluded that Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, passed information to Beijing while developing ties with the Nvidia leader. China has denied the espionage allegation. The two men are not related.

Huang built a career in Chinese finance before moving into the artificial intelligence chip sector. She held senior roles at Shanghai Hexi Investment Management, where she served as deputy general manager and executive director. Public records indicate she previously worked at HSBC and CITIC Securities in Hong Kong. She also worked in television journalism earlier in her career.

In March 2023, Huang became the controlling shareholder of Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based cloud computing company. Megaspeed is listed as an official Nvidia cloud partner. The company provides services in the Asia-Pacific region. In late 2023, Megaspeed transferred its shares to SwiftData, a Singapore-based entity. Research group C4ADS assessed that Huang may still exercise influence over the company despite the transfer.

U.S. authorities investigated Megaspeed in October 2025 over whether it helped Chinese customers obtain advanced Nvidia chips subject to export controls. Shipping records show Megaspeed's Indonesian subsidiary imported Nvidia H100 processors and components between 2024 and 2026. These shipments came from suppliers including Gigabyte, a Taiwanese server manufacturer. The H100 is restricted from export to China, though shipments to Indonesia do not automatically violate U.S. rules.

Huang and Jensen Huang were photographed together at a Gigabyte party during the 2024 Computex technology trade show. A person who attended said they were both present. The photo showed them seated next to each other. Gigabyte did not respond to requests for comment regarding the event.

U.S. lawmakers are seeking answers from the Nvidia CEO about whether he knew of the alleged intelligence activity. George Chen, a partner at The Asia Group, noted that the CEO might be viewed as a victim if he was manipulated without knowing the woman's true intentions. Nvidia stated that its CEO meets thousands of customer executives annually and that Asian cloud customers receive ordinary business information rather than trade secrets. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was amazed by the allegations and that he spoke with the CEO, who said he had no idea the woman was a spy.

The New York Times first reported last month that U.S. authorities had reached their conclusion regarding Huang's role. Reuters reviewed more than 30 financial records and corporate filings to verify Huang's background. The company Megaspeed did not respond to a request for comment. SwiftData could not be immediately contacted. HSBC and CITIC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.