Washington, Nov 09 (V7N)- The board of directors of US technology giant Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into reports that Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang had a close relationship with a Chinese businesswoman suspected by US intelligence agencies of working for Beijing.
The investigation follows a report by The New York Times published on October 29, which identified the woman as Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le. She is a Chinese citizen and an executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed, a major Nvidia customer.
According to the report, US intelligence officials suspected that Alice Huang was gathering information for China and potentially seeking to influence Nvidia's access to advanced artificial intelligence chips.
Nvidia's board said it had no reason to believe that the company's trade secrets or US national security information had been compromised. However, it decided to review the available information through an independent investigation.
The board also expressed confidence in Huang's continued leadership, saying he remains committed to serving as the company's CEO. Nvidia said the investigation would not interrupt his leadership.
Meanwhile, Huang has acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife and apologised to his family and colleagues in a message to Nvidia employees on Sunday (November 8).
“I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry,” he wrote.
Huang said he took full responsibility for his actions and the pain caused to his family. He also acknowledged falling short of the standards expected of him by Nvidia's employees, board members, partners and shareholders.
He reaffirmed his commitment to leading the company and earning back the confidence of its employees and stakeholders.
Addressing the national security concerns raised in media reports, Huang said he supported the board's independent investigation and would fully cooperate with it.
The controversy has emerged amid continuing tensions between the United States and China over advanced semiconductor technology and restrictions on the export of high-performance AI chips.
However, the espionage allegations against Alice Huang remain subject to scrutiny, and Nvidia's investigation has yet to establish whether any confidential company information or national security interests were compromised.
END/SMA/AJ
