Trump says FBI examining Nvidia chief’s relationship amid intelligence allegations
Nvidia has opened an independent inquiry into Jensen Huang’s admitted extramarital relationship, while China has rejected allegations that the woman involved worked for its intelligence services.
By Evelyn Adeyemi ·
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the FBI was examining matters connected to Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang’s relationship with a Chinese executive accused of working for Chinese intelligence. His remarks followed Huang’s admission of an extramarital relationship with Alice Huang and Nvidia’s announcement of an independent investigation.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said inquiries had begun but offered few details about their scope. He indicated that the FBI was looking into another aspect of the matter and expressed confidence in Huang. Trump also said the Nvidia chief had told him he did not know the woman was allegedly an intelligence agent, an explanation the president said he believed.
Asked when he first learned of concerns surrounding the relationship, Trump said he had become aware relatively recently. He added that he had heard about the matter and read some coverage over a period of time. Nvidia did not immediately answer Al Jazeera’s request for comment on the developments.
The company announced its own investigation on Sunday after media reports cited US intelligence allegations that Alice Huang had worked for China’s Ministry of State Security. She previously held an executive role at Megaspeed, a data centre company based in Singapore. Nvidia said outside counsel would oversee the independent inquiry, which would consider all information available.
Nvidia’s board said it had no reason to believe the relationship had compromised either national security or company secrets. In a separate statement acknowledging the affair, Jensen Huang apologised to his family, colleagues and shareholders. He also committed to cooperating fully with the board’s investigation.
The admission followed reports published last week by the New York Times and the Financial Times. Those reports said unnamed US officials had prepared a memo alleging that Alice Huang had targeted the Nvidia executive for intelligence gathering. Alice Huang, who is not related to Jensen Huang, has made no public comment on the allegations.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the claims on Monday, describing them as baseless speculation intended to damage China’s reputation. The allegations remain disputed, with Nvidia’s inquiry set to examine the information surrounding the relationship.
Based in Santa Clara, California, Nvidia holds an estimated 80 to 90 percent share of the market for graphics-processing units used to operate frontier artificial intelligence models. The company, the world’s second-most valuable with a market capitalisation exceeding $4.30 trillion, saw its shares decline 4.27 percent on Monday, ending the session at $178.67.
