An extramarital relationship involving Jensen Huang, the chief executive of Nvidia, has become the focus of a case with potential implications for US national security.
US media reports have linked Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang to intelligence services in Beijing, while the US Congress is seeking explanations and Nvidia has launched an independent investigation.
The case emerged in late October when The New York Times reported that US intelligence agencies had spent nearly a year examining Alice Huang's activities and her contacts with the 63-year-old Nvidia founder and chief executive.
According to subsequent reports, the businesswoman is alleged to have been recruited by China's Ministry of State Security with the aim of cultivating a relationship with Huang and gaining access to information about Nvidia's technological strategy.
The allegations have not been proven, and there is no evidence that the Nvidia chief executive was aware of any alleged espionage activities.
Who is Alice Huang?
Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, is a Chinese businesswoman active in the financial and technology sectors.
According to The New York Times, she worked for Chinese banks before becoming associated with Hexi Capital, a Shanghai-based investment fund involved in sectors including semiconductors and artificial intelligence.
She was also linked to Megaspeed, a Singapore-based company that provides computing power for artificial intelligence applications.
According to US media reports, investors claimed that Huang cited her relationship with the head of Nvidia when seeking investment capital.
Questions over 136,000 processors
Megaspeed is also under scrutiny by US authorities over the possible circumvention of export restrictions on advanced processors destined for China.
According to reports, the company purchased more than $4.8 billion worth of Nvidia processors over a two-year period.
Questions have arisen over approximately 136,000 graphics processing units (GPUs), as reports claim that only part of the equipment could be accounted for during inspections.
Huang has rejected allegations that processors were illegally transferred to China, insisting that Nvidia verified their destination.
Megaspeed has also denied violating export restrictions.
“I was unfaithful to my wife”
The case took a new turn on Sunday when Huang admitted to having an affair.
In an internal message to Nvidia employees, he accepted personal responsibility for his conduct.
“I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did.”
The 63-year-old businessman apologised to his family and pledged to cooperate fully with the company's independent investigation.
Congress seeks answers
Three chairs of committees in the US House of Representatives have asked Huang to attend a closed-door briefing on 18 November.
In a letter sent on 4 November, they expressed concerns about the possibility of Chinese intelligence services gaining access to sensitive American technology.
Meanwhile, Nvidia's board of directors announced the launch of an independent investigation, stressing that it currently has no evidence indicating any leak of company secrets.
The company continues to support its founder, who remains chief executive.
Beijing has dismissed the allegations as unfounded, while authorities in Singapore clarified that they are not investigating Alice Huang's personal relationships but are continuing a separate investigation involving Megaspeed.
The case has attracted particular attention because of Nvidia's central role in the global artificial intelligence market and US restrictions on exports of advanced chips to China.
Whether Huang's personal relationship was exploited for espionage purposes remains under investigation.
