Jensen Huang apologises as Nvidia launches probe into reported intelligence targeting

Jensen Huang has apologised to his family after acknowledging an intimate relationship with a business executive whom US intelligence reportedly assessed as gathering information for Beijing. Nvidia’s board says it is investigating reports that its chief executive was the target of a foreign intelligence effort. According to The New York Times, Huang told the board about the relationship. The newspaper reported that he sent a message to the company saying he had been unfaithful to his wife, that his actions had hurt her and their children, and that he was deeply sorry. Huang also said there was no excuse for his conduct. Nvidia’s board said it had no reason to believe national security or the company’s confidential information had been compromised. It said its review would consider all available information. Huang is supporting the investigation and has agreed to cooperate, the board said. He will remain in his role as CEO while the inquiry is under way. The Times previously reported that US intelligence agencies had identified a close relationship between Huang and Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen who works in the semiconductor industry. The two are not related, the newspaper said. US intelligence reportedly determined that Alice Huang was providing information to Beijing. Alice Huang had worked as a television reporter in China before becoming a senior executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed. The Times described the firm as one of Nvidia’s largest customers in Southeast Asia, reporting that it had bought more than US$4.8 billion worth of Nvidia chips over the past two years. The claims about intelligence gathering and any potential access to sensitive information remain the subject of the board’s investigation. Nvidia has said it has no reason to believe its secrets were compromised, while Huang has agreed to assist the review.