Huang remains CEO during Nvidia’s inquiry
Nvidia’s board opened an inquiry Sunday into reports that CEO Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort. The announcement followed Huang’s acknowledgment to the board that he had an intimate relationship with a business executive. President Donald Trump responded by praising Huang and saying he had not spoken with him about recent developments. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, traveling to a G7 meeting in Paris, declined to comment.
When Trump was informed of the case and asked whether he would have liked to take action based on intelligence reports, he said he hoped everything was well and that Huang had done an incredible job. Before returning to the White House, Trump called Huang an honorable man, said Huang probably had an excuse and praised his work for the country.
Trump also said he was open to Huang joining an Asia trip the following week. Trump said he did not know whether Huang would come but would undoubtedly take him. Huang is a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Rubio said Sunday that he could not address the situation involving Huang. He said the nature of the matter and an internal corporate matter at Nvidia prevented him from commenting.
Nvidia’s board said it had no reason to believe national security or Nvidia’s secrets had been compromised. The inquiry would examine all available information, and Huang fully supported the review and had committed to cooperate, the board said. Huang, 63, would remain chief executive during the inquiry.
Company spokesman John Rizzo said the day’s news would not stop Nvidia and that Huang was committed to leading the company without interruption.
In a letter to employees accessed by The Associated Press, Huang wrote that leading Nvidia was the privilege of his life. He said his responsibility was to serve them and be worthy of their trust, but that he had not risen to that responsibility. The letter also acknowledged that Huang had been unfaithful to his wife, apologized to his family and colleagues and said he accepted all responsibility for his actions.
The New York Times reported last month that U.S. intelligence agencies had discovered Huang had developed a close relationship with Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen and chip buyer, and had determined that she was delivering information directly to Beijing. The Times said the two were not related.
The Associated Press reported that Alice Huang was formerly a television reporter in China before becoming a senior executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data center company that had become one of Nvidia’s largest clients in Southeast Asia. The Associated Press report attributed to The Times a figure of more than 4.800 million dollars for Nvidia chips Megaspeed bought over the past two years, using a period to separate thousands.
Huang’s letter did not mention Alice Huang or address her apparent ties to Beijing, The Associated Press reported. The letter referred more broadly to the national-security concerns raised in the news and said Huang supported the board’s inquiry and would cooperate fully. Huang wrote that he loved the country and Nvidia and was committed to protecting the company and supporting U.S. national security.
Nvidia has become a central figure in the global race to develop artificial intelligence. Its chips power many data centers and computer systems used to train and run AI models, while its advanced processors have been the focus of U.S. export restrictions intended to limit China’s access to cutting-edge semiconductor technology.
The Associated Press described Nvidia as the world’s most valuable company and reported that it had regularly exceeded Wall Street earnings expectations over the past three years since its high-end chips became the best base for developing AI. The Associated Press report lists the Santa Clara, California, company’s quarterly earnings in August as 59.690 million dollars, with the period separating thousands.
Rio Yamat wrote the report, and The Associated Press journalist Michelle L. Price contributed from West Palm Beach, Florida. An Associated Press editor translated the story from English with the help of a generative AI tool.