The Chinese 'spy' accused of honey-trapping the boss of the world's biggest AI chip firm had bragged that she could secure his firm's technology despite a US export ban.
uncertain
she → accuse → ban
Alice Huang pitched a deal to Beijing investors to secure Nvidia's coveted graphics processing units (GPUs) last year.
asserted
Huang → pitch → units
Ms Huang said she had 'no problem securing GPUs', the Financial Times reported, even though Chinese firms are barred from obtaining them by the US.
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firms → say → US
She did not disclose her relationship with Nvidia's married chief executive Jensen Huang, who is no relation, during the investment pitch for a data centre project in Singapore.
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who → disclose → Singapore
Washington imposed strict limits on the US firm's exports to thwart attempts by Chinese president Xi Jinping to become the leading AI superpower by 2030.
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Washington → impose → 2030
Nvidia went into meltdown on Monday after Mr Huang admitted having an affair with Ms Huang months after she was declared a Chinese spy by US intelligence.
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she → go → intelligence
On Sunday, the 63-year-old said in a memo to staff: 'I was unfaithful to my wife.
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I → say → wife
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
The company has commissioned an independent probe into the affair.
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company → commission → affair
It lost around £292billion of its value – or 9 per cent – in minutes on Monday, equal to the combined value of HSBC and Barclays.
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It → lose → HSBC
Its shares recovered, but it was still down by 4 per cent by the evening, making it worth around £3trillion.
Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang is pictured at a party with suspected Chinese spy Alice Huang in June 2024
Mr Huang admitted he was 'unfaithful' to his wife, Lori Huang, who he is pictured with her during a visit to the White House on September 24
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he → recover → September
Huang apparently worked as a Chinese state TV reporter and had a stint in private equity before she formed Megaspeed International in 2023, according to unverified internet biographies.
uncertain
she → work → biographies
Within a year the previously dormant firm became the largest buyer of Nvidia's chips in south-east Asia.
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firm → become → Asia
Weeks before they started purchasing the chips she was seen drinking whisky with Taiwan-born American businessman Mr Huang in Taipei – the first known pictures of them together.
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she → start → them
Megaspeed's imports topped £3.6billion as it opened facilities across south-east Asia and rented the firm's technology to the Chinese tech giant Alibaba.
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it → top → giant
The investments set off alarm bells in Washington and Ms Huang was placed under surveillance at the end of 2024.
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Huang → set → 2024
Earlier this year she was named as a spy in a US intelligence report.
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she → name → report
However, Donald Trump – a close ally of Mr Huang – did nothing, the New York Times reported.
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Times → do → nothing
Theresa Fallon, director of the Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies in Brussels, said: 'It is always amazing to see how so-called intelligent people fall for a Chinese honey-trap.'
Rush Doshi, an assistant security studies professor at Georgetown University in Washington, said: 'If the reporting is right, this is the most significant story in US-China policy in years.
'
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this → say → years
If the US knew Jensen Huang had a romantic relationship with a Chinese spy and looked the other way, all while that spy ran a company backdooring US compute to China, it warrants a Congressional investigation.'
America restricted firms from exporting advanced Nvidia chips to China in 2022, but some smuggled them illegally over the border.
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some → know → border
Others legally set up businesses that buy large numbers of chips to build data centres in south-east Asia that serve Chinese firms.
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that → set → firms
Ms Huang apparently worked as a Chinese state TV reporter and had a stint in private equity before she formed Megaspeed International in 2023, according to unverified internet biographies
Mr Huang is pictured with President Donald Trump on Thursday, October 8
Megaspeed, based in Singapore, appeared to be a middle man, buying Nvidia chips and providing computing power to Chinese firms operating outside the country.
uncertain
Megaspeed → work → country
However, it was suspected of smuggling the tech into China.
asserted
it → suspect → China
Mr Huang lobbied Mr Trump to relax export laws on chips, and when a US delegation visited China last May he was initially left off the list due to concerns about his 'influence on the President's policy of only lightly regulating AI'.
uncertain
he → lobby → AI
Silicon Valley giants defended the tech tycoon last night.
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giants → defend → tycoon
Shaun Maguire, a partner at Sequoia Capital, a tech investment firm, tweeted that Mr Huang was 'irreplaceable for America's AI leadership', adding: 'My guess is there was no bad intention.'
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guess → tweet → leadership
SpaceX boss Elon Musk said: 'I agree.'
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I → say → ?
Wall Street hedge fund manager Bill Ackman said: 'Jensen Huang is human.
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Huang → say → ?
even incredible humans make mistakes.'
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humans → make → mistakes
China denied Ms Huang was a spy and accused the US of 'groundless smears and slanders'.
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Huang → deny → smears
Nvidia said it 'prioritises US national and economic security' but 'has no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised.
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security → say → reason
It added that Mr Huang was co-operating with its investigation and would remain as chief executive pending the review.
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Huang → add → review
READ MORE: The startling rise of the ex-reporter who bought up Nvidia chips
READ MORE: The former dishwasher who became the rock star of tech - but couldn't resist a pretty young face
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who → read → face
The Aporia
