Nvidia Board Opens Independent Inquiry Into Reports of Spy Targeting

Nvidia’s board has ordered an independent investigation into reports of a foreign intelligence operation targeting founder and chief executive Jensen Huang, retaining outside counsel while backing his continued leadership.

Board Sets Independent Review

A committee of independent directors will oversee the inquiry with assistance from independent outside lawyers, the board said in a statement on Sunday, November 8.

“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 directors said Huang supports the review and will cooperate. They also expressed confidence in him and his leadership team, making clear that the inquiry does not displace the company’s management.

The announcement follows reports that Huang was targeted by an alleged Chinese spy. It concerns the reported intelligence effort, rather than an announced misconduct investigation into the chief executive.

Draft Email Contains Apology

Axios reported that Huang acknowledged a romantic relationship with a suspected Chinese spy. The outlet obtained a draft email addressed to Nvidia employees.

“I owe my family and all of you an apology,” Huang wrote in the draft, according to Axios. “I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did.”

The published excerpts do not name Alice Huang, the woman identified in earlier reporting about the alleged intelligence operation.

John Rizzo, Nvidia’s head of public policy communications, told Axios: “Today’s news will not slow NVIDIA. Jensen is committed to continuing to lead NVIDIA as CEO without interruption.”

Intelligence Claims Remain Contested

The New York Times previously reported a U.S. intelligence assessment that Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, had been recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security to gather information about Jensen Huang and potentially press for advanced chips for China.

She is an executive at Singapore-based data-center company Megaspeed, an Nvidia customer, and is not related to Jensen Huang, according to the reporting.

U.S. officials had suspected Megaspeed of helping China obtain restricted chips. Nvidia said those diversion allegations had been thoroughly investigated and debunked last year. China dismissed the earlier spy-plot reports as groundless speculation.

The dispute puts Nvidia’s China chip sales and relationships with data-center partners under renewed scrutiny.

House Republican committee chairs John Moolenaar, Brian Mast and Rick Crawford have asked Huang to attend a closed-door briefing on November 18. The board said it would issue further updates as appropriate.