Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits affair as board investigates alleged Chinese espionage operation

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has admitted to having an extramarital affair as the company’s board launches an independent investigation into reports that he was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.

In a company-wide email dated November 8, Huang apologised to his wife, children and Nvidia employees, acknowledging that he had been unfaithful and also accepted responsibility for his actions and pledged to cooperate with the investigation. However, Huang did not identify the person involved in the affair.

The announcement follows investigations by the New York Times and Financial Times into Huang’s reported relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based data-center company Megaspeed International. US intelligence officials reportedly believe Alice Huang, who is unrelated to Jensen Huang, was recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security to gather information about Nvidia and potentially influence US policies governing AI-chip exports to China.

The Financial Times subsequently reported that US officials had documented a romantic relationship between the two.

Megaspeed itself has faced scrutiny over suspicions that it facilitated the diversion of export-restricted Nvidia hardware to China. According to the New York Times, a Malaysian company associated with Megaspeed purchased $4.8 billion worth of advanced AI equipment containing Nvidia technology between June 2024 and February 2026. Megaspeed has denied wrongdoing.

In an official statement, Nvidia confirmed that independent directors, assisted by external legal counsel, would oversee the investigation. The company maintained that it presently had no reason to believe its proprietary information or US national security had been compromised.

Meanwhile, three Republican congressional committee chairmen, Brian Mast, John Moolenaar, and Rick Crawford, have requested that Huang attend a closed-door briefing on November 18 to explain his interactions with Alice Huang and Nvidia’s safeguards against foreign espionage.

Huang will continue serving as Nvidia’s CEO during the investigation, with the board publicly expressing confidence in his leadership. Whether or not it will be the case in the future remains to be seen.