Nvidia had no reason to believe secrets or national security were compromised
President Donald Trump said on Monday that the FBI is investigating the relationship between Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Alice Huang, an alleged Chinese spy. Trump said he spoke to Huang on Monday after reports that the US believed the Nvidia chief had been targeted in a Chinese espionage campaign. “I asked him that question, ‘Did you have any idea she was a spy?’ He said ‘I had no idea she was a spy’ and I really believe him,” Trump told reporters.
At a Monday afternoon news conference, Trump said he thought Huang was an “honorable guy” and that “I feel very confident that he will be in good shape.” “I did speak to him today just to see if he’s feeling alright, how you doing, and I asked him about that and he said he absolutely had no idea that the person in question was a spy,” the president said.
The BBC’s accompanying video of the exchange was titled “He’s suffering”: Trump answers BBC question about Nvidia’s Jensen Huang.
Trump said later on Monday that the FBI was now looking into the issue, but he did not elaborate on the probe or say when it was launched. The BBC said it had contacted the FBI. Trump added that he was “sure” China president Xi Jinping would “ask me about it” when they next met.
Nvidia has commissioned an independent investigation into the affair involving Alice Huang, and the company said it had no reason to believe its secrets or national security were compromised. BBC News reported separately that Nvidia shares tumbled over the investigation.
Huang, who has admitted he was “unfaithful” to his wife, apologised for hurting her and their children. He said on Monday that he was “committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting America’s national security” and would cooperate with the investigation the company had launched.
US intelligence officials believe Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, was a spy for Beijing, according to a New York Times report. The report said Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a memo to top officials in Washington last spring warning that the Nvidia chief was in a close relationship with a Chinese spy.
Alice Huang was managing director of Singaporean company Megaspeed, which has had dealings with Nvidia. Nvidia sits at the centre of AI development worldwide through its microchips. The American firm, run and co-founded by Huang, is also a major focus in the AI rivalry between the US and China, with officials treating the company’s exports to Beijing as a matter of national security.
Huang has also been requested to appear for a joint closed-door briefing for several congressional committees next week. In the letter, the chairmen of the committees said they were seeking a briefing “on Nvidia’s security protocols against foreign adversary espionage and your interactions with a publicly reported People’s Republic of China (PRC) intelligence asset: Megaspeed executive Alice Huang”. It is unclear whether Huang will appear. The BBC said it had contacted Nvidia and the committees.
China has rejected the claims that Huang was targeted. Its foreign ministry said the allegations were “entirely groundless, speculative and intended to smear and malign China”.
BBC News also published Zoe Kleinman’s assessment that the affair “will cause ripples across US and beyond”.