President Donald Trump said Monday that the FBI is investigating a romantic relationship between Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and a woman suspected of being a Chinese intelligence agent.
An FBI investigation into a potential espionage connection involving Nvidia’s leader has begun. President Donald Trump announced the probe on Monday.
Trump spoke personally with Huang on Monday about the allegations. He asked the chief executive if he knew about the woman’s alleged ties to intelligence services.
I asked him: ‘Did you know she was a spy?’ He answered: ‘I had no idea she was a spy,’ and I believe him.
Trump called Huang a “good man.” He described Nvidia as a magnificent American company, according to Profile.
The FBI is examining the matter in a different context. Trump expressed confidence that Huang will be fine, Vesti.az reported.
Nvidia’s board of directors initiated an independent internal investigation on November 8. They are looking into whether the chief executive was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.
Independent board members and external lawyers are conducting the probe. They aim to see if trade secrets, technical documents, or strategic plans for artificial intelligence chips were compromised, Meduza reported.
Huang admitted to the extramarital affair in a message to employees. He apologized to his family and colleagues, stating he would take full responsibility for his actions, Unian reported.
Nvidia stated on November 8 that it has no reason to believe that U.S. national security or the company’s commercial secrets have been compromised,
Meduza reported.
Nvidia shares fell more than 6 percent on November 9. The price on the Frankfurt exchange dropped to approximately 158 euros, according to Meduza.
The company has seen a 22 percent loss in value since its October peak. BBC reported that the scandal has already triggered a decline in Nvidia’s market value.
U.S. intelligence officials believe Alice Huang was recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security. She is a former executive at the Singapore-based company Megaspeed.
Officials suspect she aimed to gather information and influence the chipmaker. The investigation follows reports that Huang maintained a relationship with her.
Megaspeed purchased more than $4.8 billion worth of Nvidia chips in June 2024, Tvgram reported. Intelligence officials suspect the company’s data centers may have provided China access to advanced chips subject to U.S. export restrictions.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the allegations. Beijing officials described the espionage claims as completely groundless, speculative and intended to smear and slander China,
BBC reported.
The U.S. Congress is expected to review the situation. Three chairs of House committees have called for a closed briefing with Huang on November 18, Tvgram reported.