The Nvidia board of directors has opened an independent investigation into whether founder and CEO Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort, according to a statement published on the company's newsroom. A committee of independent directors, supported by outside independent counsel, will oversee the review.
The move follows reporting that Huang had a close relationship with Alice Huang, an executive at Nvidia customer Megaspeed, who US officials reportedly believe was recruited by China's Ministry of State Security to spy on the company. The board said it has no reason to believe that national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, but that its inquiry will examine all available information.
What Nvidia's board said
In its November 8 statement, the board said it prioritizes US national and economic security, calling it paramount to the interests of Nvidia and its shareholders. It added that Jensen Huang fully supports the review and has committed to cooperating with it.
The board also expressed confidence in Huang and his leadership team and said it would provide further updates as appropriate. The investigation is being handled by independent directors rather than company management, a structure meant to keep the review at arm's length from the CEO under scrutiny.
The relationship at the center of the probe
According to The Verge and other outlets, The New York Times reported last month that Huang had developed a close relationship with the Megaspeed executive, which he later described as romantic in a memo to staff. In that email, Huang reportedly admitted to the affair, took full responsibility, and said he fell short of his duties to Nvidia's board, shareholders and employees.
US officials reportedly believe Alice Huang was feeding information directly back to Beijing. Megaspeed is a Nvidia customer and is itself the subject of a Commerce Department investigation into whether it was smuggling AI chips to China, according to The Verge.
The case has drawn extra attention because of Huang's visibility in Washington. Nvidia's AI chips are seen as central to US technological leadership, and both the Biden and Trump administrations have restricted their sale to China. President Trump has loosened some of those restrictions, but sales of Nvidia's most powerful chips to Chinese firms remain barred, with the Commerce Department required to approve individual companies that handle them.
