SAN FRANCISCO (The Thursday Times) — Nvidia’s board said on Sunday that it had opened an independent investigation into its founder and chief executive, Jensen Huang, after reports that he had been the target of a Chinese intelligence operation, as Huang told employees that he had been unfaithful to his wife.
A committee of independent directors, working with outside counsel, will run the inquiry, the board said in a statement. It said it put US national and economic security first, and that while it had “no reason to believe” that national security or Nvidia’s secrets had been compromised, it would examine all available information. Huang “fully supports the review” and has committed to cooperating, the board said, adding that it had confidence in him and his leadership team.
The apology: in a message to the company, Huang wrote: “I owe my family and all of you an apology. I was unfaithful to my wife. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry.” He said he had fallen short of his responsibility to Nvidia and that colleagues, the board, partners and shareholders “deserve better”.
The memo: a classified US memo circulated among senior officials earlier this year concluded that Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen and executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore company that bought Nvidia’s advanced AI chips and was investigated over claims it smuggled them into China, had been recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security, and that she was in a close relationship with the Nvidia chief. She is no relation. People briefed on the matter said Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw the drafting of the memo, which went round before President Donald Trump’s trip to China in May. Nvidia had earlier said the pair’s interactions were “not unusual” and that it does not share classified information with customers. No one has been charged.
Why it matters: Nvidia makes the chips at the heart of the race for artificial intelligence and of the trade war between Washington and Beijing, and Huang has been one of the most influential business voices around Trump. He has argued against tighter limits on exporting advanced chips and pushed to be allowed to sell all but the newest technology to China. Other AI companies have warned their staff to be on guard against spies, including approaches that offer romance.
