Nvidia chief admits to infidelity amid scandal over ties to an alleged Chinese spy

The CEO of the American technology company Nvidia, Jensen Huang, publicly admitted to infidelity following reports of his alleged romantic relationship with a woman whom U.S. intelligence services suspect of cooperating with Chinese intelligence. UNN reports this, citing the Financial Times.

The company’s board of directors has already launched an independent investigation over a possible threat to U.S. national security.

Details

On Sunday, November 8, Jensen Huang sent Nvidia employees an internal letter in which he admitted to being unfaithful to his wife and apologized to his family, colleagues, and the company’s shareholders.

I owe my family and all of you an apology. I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions caused her and our children pain. There is no excuse for this. I am deeply sorry

The head of Nvidia emphasized that he takes full responsibility for his actions and understands the harm he caused to those close to him and to the company’s reputation. At the same time, he said he was ready to cooperate with the independent investigation initiated by Nvidia’s board of directors against the backdrop of reports of a possible foreign intelligence operation.

I am fully committed to Nvidia and will work to regain your trust. I support the investigation and will cooperate with it fully

According to the Financial Times, U.S. intelligence services suspect Alice Huang, a Chinese national who previously held an executive position at the Singaporean company Megaspeed, of cooperating with Chinese intelligence. The latter is one of Nvidia’s clients and is involved in procuring advanced processors for artificial intelligence systems.

According to the publication, U.S. officials prepared an intelligence memorandum concerning Jensen Huang’s alleged romantic relationship with Alice Huang. U.S. intelligence estimates that the woman may have been recruited by representatives of China’s Ministry of State Security to obtain information about Nvidia’s head and the company’s activities. In particular, U.S. intelligence services suspect that the Chinese side may have attempted to use the relationship to obtain confidential information and influence decisions regarding the export of American technologies to China.

Against the backdrop of the scandal, Nvidia’s board of directors officially announced the launch of an independent investigation. It will be conducted by a special committee of independent directors with the participation of external legal advisers. The company emphasized that it currently has no reason to believe that U.S. national security or Nvidia’s trade secrets were compromised as a result of possible foreign interference. The board of directors expressed its confidence in Huang, who will continue to serve as CEO.

The scandal has also attracted the attention of American lawmakers. Representatives of three committees of the U.S. House of Representatives called on Nvidia’s head to hold a closed briefing regarding possible contacts with representatives of Chinese intelligence and the risks to national security. U.S. President Donald Trump, commenting on the situation, publicly supported Huang and said that he considers him a decent person.

Background

It is worth noting that Nvidia is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of processors for artificial intelligence. The company’s advanced technologies are of strategic importance to the United States, while their export to China remains subject to strict restrictions and political debate between Washington and Beijing.

Previously reported

It was previously reported that Britain accuses China of using scientists for espionage in the field of AI research.