US President Donald Trump says the FBI is investigating Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang’s relationship with a woman suspected of working as a Chinese spy.
Trump disclosed the investigation on Monday after speaking with Huang, who has admitted being unfaithful to his wife but denied knowing that the woman had alleged links to Chinese intelligence.
“I know the FBI is looking into” the affair, Trump told reporters at the White House, without giving details of the investigation or confirming when it began.
Trump said he had asked Huang whether he knew the woman was a spy during their telephone conversation. “I asked him that question, ‘Did you have any idea she was a spy?’ He said ‘I had no idea she was a spy’ and I really believe him.”
He described Huang as an “honourable guy” and said he expected him to be in good shape after the investigations.
Trump also said he had contacted the Nvidia chief executive to ask how he was coping with the reports. “I spoke to him just to see if he’s feeling alright, how you doing and I asked him about that and he said he absolutely had no idea that the person in question was a spy.”
The FBI declined to comment when contacted.
Nvidia has commissioned an independent investigation into the matter, involving Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, who US intelligence officials suspect of working for Beijing.
The company said it had no reason to believe its trade secrets or national security had been compromised.
Alice Huang, who is not related to Jensen Huang, was the managing director of Singapore-based company Megaspeed, which has had business dealings with Nvidia.
According to a New York Times report, US intelligence officials believe she was involved in a Chinese espionage campaign targeting the Nvidia chief executive.
The newspaper also reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a memo to senior officials in Washington in the spring, warning that Huang was in a close relationship with a suspected Chinese spy.
China has rejected the allegations, with its foreign ministry describing them as “entirely groundless, speculative and intended to smear and malign China.”
The reports have raised concerns because Nvidia is a major player in the artificial intelligence industry and its chips are central to the technology competition between the United States and China.
The company is the world’s second most valuable after Apple. Its shares fell by more than four per cent on Monday, wiping about $250bn from its market value.
Huang and Nvidia were also sued on Monday in a proposed class action lawsuit in California.
The lawsuit accuses the company and its chief executive of defrauding shareholders by concealing his relationship with Alice Huang.
It alleges that Nvidia misled the media about the relationship and claims the woman was suspected of seeking to help smuggle Nvidia products into China.
Huang has admitted being unfaithful to his wife and apologised for hurting her and their children.
He also said he remained committed to protecting the company and supporting US national security.
“I am committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting America’s national security,” he said, adding that he would cooperate with the investigation launched by the company.
Huang has also been asked to appear at a joint closed-door briefing involving several congressional committees next week.
It is unclear whether he will attend.
A letter requesting the briefing said lawmakers wanted information about Nvidia’s security measures against foreign espionage and Huang’s interactions with Alice Huang.
The letter described her as a publicly reported intelligence asset of the People’s Republic of China and identified her connection to Megaspeed.
The controversy comes as Washington continues to treat Nvidia’s chip exports to China as a national security issue.
Nvidia was founded in 1993 by Huang and two other engineers. The company initially focused on graphics chips for gaming before shifting towards artificial intelligence, making it one of the most influential companies in the technology industry.
Its advanced semiconductors have become central to the global expansion of AI, while the US government has imposed restrictions on some sales to China over concerns about Beijing’s technological and military capabilities.
Huang has opposed broad restrictions on chip sales to China, arguing that the global expansion of artificial intelligence should be powered by American technology.
In January, the Trump administration said Nvidia could sell its H200 chips to Chinese customers under certain conditions.
However, its most advanced AI semiconductors, including the GB200 Blackwell superchip, remain restricted from the Chinese market.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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