SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Nvidia’s board has launched an independent investigation of co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang following reports that he was the target of a Chinese intelligence effort, CBS News reports.
“The NVIDIA Board is initiating an independent investigation in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort,” the board said Sunday. A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside counsel, will oversee it. The board said it had no reason to believe company secrets or national security were compromised.
The allegations center on Alice Huang, a former executive of Singapore-based Megaspeed, which buys AI chips from Nvidia. The New York Times reported last month that U.S. authorities were investigating her and that U.S. intelligence officials believe she was an asset of China’s Ministry of State Security.
In a message to employees Sunday, Jensen Huang admitted being “unfaithful” to his wife and apologized to his family, without naming the woman involved. “There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry,” he said. A company spokesperson said he “fully supports the review” and will continue to lead Nvidia.
Nvidia spokesperson John Rizzo told CBS News, “We trust that if we were the target of a genuine threat, the U.S. government would have notified us.”
China’s Foreign Ministry rejected the claims Monday. “The so-called Chinese spy narrative is entirely baseless and constitutes slander and smear,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.
The CIA, NSA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to CBS News. Nvidia shares rose 2.8% Friday after steep drops earlier in the week, the AP reported.
Sources: CBS News, KTAR News/Associated Press. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Wikideas1 / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
