What to know about Nvidia’s investigation of its CEO Jensen Huang
SAN FRANCISCO – Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia and one of the most powerful figures in the artificial intelligence boom, acknowledged on Nov 8 that he had a romantic relationship with a Chinese businessperson who US intelligence agencies concluded was a spy for Beijing.
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agencies → know → Beijing
The admission followed a series of reports by The New York Times showing that the woman, who goes by Alice Huang, had been recruited by China’s main spy agency, and that US President Donald Trump and other top officials had been warned about the relationship.
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Trump → follow → relationship
What’s happening with Nvidia and its chief executive?
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What → happen → Nvidia
Nvidia said on Nov 8 that it was opening an investigation into Jensen Huang, a co-founder of the chipmaker, after he told the board about his relationship with Alice Huang.
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he → say → Huang
(The two are not related.)
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two → relate → ?
“I was unfaithful to my wife,” Jensen Huang said in a message to the company.
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Huang → say → company
“My actions hurt her and our children.
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actions → hurt → her
There is no excuse for what I did.
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I → be → what
Nvidia’s board said it had “no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised”.
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security → say → reason
Huang will remain CEO during the review.
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Huang → remain → review
In October, he told Bloomberg News that his dealings with Alice Huang had been “completely normal”.
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dealings → tell → Huang
Nvidia is the pre-eminent maker of advanced chips known as graphics processing units that power AI.
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that → know → AI
The chips are so important to the development of the technology that Washington has restricted sales of the most powerful ones to China since 2022.
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Washington → restrict → 2022
Other nations that want to compete in AI are hungry for these chips.
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that → want → chips
US agencies conducting electronic surveillance of Alice Huang concluded that she had a close relationship with Jensen Huang and was passing information to Beijing, the Times reported in October.
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Times → conduct → October
A memo that circulated among top US officials this past spring cited intelligence that she was an asset of China’s Ministry of State Security.
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she → circulate → Security
They concluded she had been recruited to gather information on Jensen Huang and potentially influence Nvidia to push for its most advanced chips to be made available to China.
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chips → conclude → China
Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw the memo’s drafting.
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Rubio → oversee → drafting
Alice Huang was a top executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore company that rents computing power from Nvidia chips to Alibaba and other Chinese firms.
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that → rent → Alibaba
US officials suspect the company has helped smuggle restricted chips into China.
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company → suspect → China
China’s embassy has called the allegations “smears”.
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embassy → call → allegations
Few executives have had as much sway over Trump’s approach to AI and China as Jensen Huang.
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executives → have → Huang
In 2025, Huang persuaded the President to roll back a ban on chip sales to China.
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Huang → persuade → China
The two later struck a deal letting Nvidia sell its second-most-powerful chip there, with the US government taking a 25% cut.
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government → strike → cut
Nvidia has donated at least US$20 million (S$25 million) to Trump’s ballroom fund.
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Nvidia → donate → fund
Trump was briefed on the intelligence about Jensen Huang and Alice Huang roughly a year ago and took no action.
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Trump → brief → action
Current and former officials said the men’s close relationship had impeded efforts to rein in Nvidia’s chip sales abroad, stalling some Commerce Department investigations and proposed trade sanctions involving China or Nvidia.
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relationship → say → China
What does Nvidia’s code of conduct say?
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code → say → conduct
Nvidia’s code of conduct, which opens with a letter from Jensen Huang, applies to every employee and board member.
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which → open → employee
It lists “personal relationships” among the activities that may create a conflict of interest and says employees facing a conflict should remove themselves from related decisions and seek legal guidance.
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employees → list → guidance
In a section on bribery, the code also urges caution in dealing with people connected to a government.
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code → urge → government
It asks staff to consider whether they could defend their conduct if it became public.
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it → ask → conduct
Violations could lead to discipline, including termination, according to the code.
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Violations → lead → code
What’s next?
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What → ’ → ?
Nvidia’s board will conduct its inquiry.
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board → conduct → inquiry
The Republican leaders of three House committees have asked Jensen Huang to appear at a closed-door briefing this month.
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leaders → ask → briefing
The Justice Department has taken over a federal investigation into Megaspeed.
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Department → take → Megaspeed
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