President Donald Trump is standing firmly behind Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, even as the board of the world’s most valuable company opens an investigation into Huang’s relationship with a woman U.S. officials have reportedly concluded was working for Chinese intelligence.
Asked by reporters Sunday night whether he would still bring Huang on his upcoming Asia trip, Trump said, “I don’t know, but I’d certainly take him.” He added, “I haven’t heard that he’s done anything wrong. He dealt with somebody but, you know, so does everybody else,” according to Axios.
Huang admits the affair
Earlier on Sunday, Huang sent an email to Nvidia employees acknowledging that he had an affair with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman linked to Megaspeed, a Singapore-based cloud computing company and Nvidia customer. The two are not related.
“I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did,” Huang wrote, according to CNBC. “I am deeply sorry.”
Addressing the national security questions, Huang told staff he supports the investigation and will cooperate fully. “I love our country and our company. I am committed to protecting NVIDIA and supporting America’s national security,” he wrote, according to NPR.
What the board is investigating
Nvidia’s board said a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside counsel, will examine whether Huang was “the target of a foreign intelligence effort.” The board said it has “no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised,” but that its inquiry “will examine all available information.” Huang will remain CEO during the review.
The New York Times reported last month that U.S. intelligence agencies had determined Alice Huang was feeding information to Beijing. Megaspeed has been under U.S. scrutiny over suspicions it helped Chinese companies gain access to advanced Nvidia AI chips that are barred from export to China. NPR, citing Times reporting, said her company purchased nearly $5 billion in Nvidia chip technology.
The Trump angle
The Times also reported that Trump had been briefed on the intelligence about Alice Huang and her ties to the Nvidia chief, but chose not to act. Huang has been one of Trump’s favorite corporate executives, frequently appearing at White House events, and he traveled with Trump to China earlier this year.
China’s foreign ministry rejected the allegations on Monday. “The so-called Chinese spy allegation is groundless,” spokesman Guo Jiakun said. “It is nothing but a smear against China.”
Congress wants answers
Three House Republican committee chairmen, Brian Mast of Foreign Affairs, John Moolenaar of the Select Committee on China, and Rick Crawford of the Intelligence Committee, have asked Huang to appear for a joint, closed-door briefing on November 18. They want him to accept that date or offer an alternative by November 11.
“It is vital that Congress determines the extent to which U.S. national security has been placed at risk,” the chairmen wrote.
Whether Huang shows up, and what the board’s investigation finds, could shape not only Nvidia’s future but the White House’s approach to selling advanced AI chips around the world.