Spying ‘pillow talk’? How Alleged Chinese Spy Alice Huang Could Access Jensen Huang’s Nvidia Information | Today’s news
An alleged Chinese spy may have gained access to sensitive information about Nvidia products and CEO Jensen Huang’s views on US President Donald Trump’s artificial intelligence (AI) policy through private conversations, The New York Post reported, citing an expert.
Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, has been accused by US officials of being an asset of China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), its intelligence agency.
Nicholas Eftimiades, a former US intelligence officer and author of China’s Espionage Operations and Tactics, suggested that Alice’s background as a tech entrepreneur may have helped her get close to Nvidia’s boss and potentially gain information about the company, the news outlet said.
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Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, is a former senior executive at Megaspeed, a Nvidia customer and cloud partner. US officials have accused her of ties to China’s Ministry of State Security, but those allegations remain unproven and have been denied by Beijing.
The former US intelligence officer suggested that her past as a technology trader and private conversations with Jensen Huang may have helped her become close to him. He said those conversations may have revealed information about Nvidia’s business and Huang’s views.
Reports said US authorities suspected he was gathering information about Nvidia’s business plans and its stance on selling advanced AI chips to China. The reports provided do not prove that she obtained this information.
Allegations that Alice Huang worked for Chinese intelligence have not been publicly proven. Nvidia said it had no reason to believe its trade secrets or national security information had been compromised.
Nvidia’s independent directors appointed former Acting US Attorney Joon H. Kim and his firm to conduct an independent investigation. The FBI is also reportedly investigating whether Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence operation.
“This is pillow talk. They have a common interest in things that they can talk about — he might say, ‘Yeah, no, I can’t go through with the council,’ or, ‘Yeah, I can go through with that,'” Eftimiades said.
“So let’s focus on China and say, ‘Okay, now we know who our friends are, and now we know who our enemies are,'” Eftimiades added.
Nvidia loses $430 billion in market value as Jensen Huang’s affair with suspected Chinese spy prompts probe
Nvidia lost about $430 billion in market value over two trading sessions as it deepened control of the chip maker.
The controversy intensified on Tuesday after reports claimed Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, a former senior executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed, helped facilitate at least $7.5 billion worth of Nvidia chip shipments to China.
US officials suspect Alice Huang of working for Chinese intelligence, which Beijing has denied. China’s Foreign Ministry called the allegations “baseless”.
Alice served as a senior executive at Megaspeed, a Nvidia customer and cloud partner that provides AI computing power to Chinese companies, including Alibaba.
Megaspeed also faced accusations that it routed Nvidia chips to China. The company denied the allegations, saying “there is no evidence of any violation regarding the illegal transfer of chips or any illegal activities.”
Nvidia’s board appoints a law firm to investigate Jensen Huang
Nvidia’s board of directors has launched an independent investigation into its CEO following revelations of his alleged affair with Alice Huang.
In a new statement, the company said its independent directors appointed former acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Joon H. Kim and his firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct a thorough and independent investigation.
The announcement follows Sunday’s decision by the board to investigate the matter.
US President Donald Trump said the FBI was investigating the matter. The agency is separately investigating whether Nvidia’s 63-year-old CEO was the target of a foreign intelligence operation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also reportedly briefed Trump on the relationship, according to reports.
Read also | Once the AI darling of shareholders, Nvidia sued its own stock buyers; A loss of $420 billion
Jensen Huang admits infidelity, apologizes to family
Huang admitted that he had been unfaithful to his wife and apologized to his family in an internal memo to Nvidia employees.
“I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did,” Huang said in the memo.
But the head of Nvidia did not give details about the relationship.
Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, has been identified in news reports as a former Chinese business executive suspected by US officials of having links to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS).
Huang admitted to the affair, but allegations that Alice worked for Chinese intelligence remain unproven. Beijing strongly denied the allegations.
Read also | Jensen Huang scandal: Nvidia shares bounce back after sharp sell-off
