US chipmaker Nvidia has launched an investigation into its billionaire chief executive, Jensen Huang, after he admitted to having an intimate relationship with a woman accused of working for Chinese intelligence.
In a statement on Sunday, Nvidia said a committee of independent directors, assisted by external legal counsel, would oversee the investigation, reports Al Jazeera.
“While the board has no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, the board’s inquiry will examine all available information,” the company’s board of directors said.
The board also expressed continued “confidence in Jensen and his leadership team”, adding that Huang would remain at the helm while the investigation was under way.
The move follows a report by The New York Times last month suggesting that Huang may have been targeted in a Chinese espionage operation.
The United States and China have been competing for dominance in strategic technology sectors, particularly artificial intelligence (AI).
Nvidia has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the AI boom, with soaring demand for its chips and programming interfaces pushing its market valuation into the trillions of dollars.
For years, Washington has imposed restrictions on exports of advanced semiconductors to China, citing concerns that Beijing could use the technology to strengthen its technological and military capabilities.
On 29 October, The New York Times reported, citing exclusive information, that a Chinese woman named Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, had sought to establish close ties with Jensen Huang to obtain information about Nvidia’s technology.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, has rejected allegations of espionage in the case.
The newspaper also reported that Alice Huang’s employer, Megaspeed, had become one of Nvidia’s biggest customers, purchasing equipment worth around $4.8 billion from the US company.
The revelations about Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang, who is not related to him, triggered strong bipartisan criticism in the US Congress.
“For months, bipartisan members of Congress have raised concerns about NVIDIA’s advanced AI chips going to China,” Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said in a statement.
“NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang and NVIDIA’s board owe Congress answers. And we need to pass bipartisan legislation we have ready to stop advanced American technology from going to China.”
Republican members of the House of Representatives have also urged Huang to appear before Congress on 18 November to testify about the relationship.
“It is vital that Congress determines the extent to which US national security has been placed at risk,” Republicans John Moolenaar, Brian Mast and Rick Crawford said in a joint statement.
In an email to Nvidia employees on Sunday, Huang acknowledged that he had an extramarital relationship.
“I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did,” Huang said.
Nvidia has expanded rapidly in recent years as demand for AI technology has surged. The company supplies chips used to develop large language models by major technology firms, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and Google.
Huang has also maintained close ties with US President Donald Trump since the Republican returned to the White House in 2025.
In August that year, the Trump administration announced that it would receive a 15% share of revenue from certain Nvidia chip sales to China.
Trump reportedly purchased up to $1.6 million worth of Nvidia shares before selling around $1 million in August, ahead of the November midterm elections.
Following last Tuesday’s midterm contests, shares of AI-related companies, including Nvidia, fell sharply amid widespread Republican electoral losses.
Trump has opposed calls for tighter regulation of AI companies. However, many Democratic candidates campaigned during the midterm elections on imposing restrictions on the industry, including limits on data centre construction.
Nvidia lost $450 billion in market value in a single trading session last week before recovering on Friday, when its shares rebounded by 4%.
Asked by reporters whether Huang would join him at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China in November, Trump gave no definite answer.
“I don’t know, but I’d certainly take him,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac in West Palm Beach, Florida. “I haven’t heard he’s done anything wrong. He dealt with somebody, but so does everybody else.”
Trump described Huang as a “fine person” who had done an “amazing job for our country”.
“I think he’s an honourable guy. I think he probably has an excuse for it,” Trump said, referring to the allegations surrounding Huang’s conduct.
