Trump says FBI investigating Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s affair with alleged Chinese spy, Digi Mart USA News (United States): US President Donald Trump said the FBI is investigating the affair between the chief executive of Nvidia and an alleged Chinese spy. Trump said he spoke to Jensen Huang on Monday following reports that the US believed he had been targeted in a Chinese espionage campaign.
“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,” Trump told reporters. Beijing has rejected claims that Huang was targeted, with its foreign ministry saying the allegations were “entirely groundless, speculative and intended to smear and malign China.”
Speaking later at a White House press briefing, Trump said, “I know the FBI is looking into” the affair but did not give further details on the investigation or confirm when it was launched. Trump added that he thought Huang was an “honourable guy and I feel very confident that he will be in good shape” after the investigations.
The FBI declined to comment when contacted by the BBC.
Nvidia has commissioned an independent investigation into the affair involving Alice Huang, who is alleged to be a Chinese spy. The company said it had no reason to believe its secrets or national security were compromised.
Nvidia is the world’s second most valuable company after Apple and designs computer chips that have become central to AI technology.
The revelations knocked about $250bn (£190bn) off Nvidia’s value on Monday, as the company’s share price fell by more than 4%. US intelligence officials believe Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, was a spy for Beijing, according to a New York Times report.
She is not related to Jensen Huang.
According to the newspaper, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a memo to top officials in Washington in spring this year warning that the Nvidia boss was in a close relationship with a Chinese spy. Alice Huang was managing director of Singaporean company Megaspeed, which has had dealings with Nvidia.
Megaspeed’s office in Singapore’s central business district appeared to be operational and staffed on Tuesday, though the BBC was refused entry to its floor.
Trump’s remarks are the first indication of whether Huang knew about the woman’s alleged ties to Chinese espionage. Nvidia, co-founded by Jensen Huang, is also a major focus of the AI technology race between the US and China, with officials in Washington treating its exports to Beijing as a matter of national security, a key reason the affair has sparked concern.
On Monday, Huang and Nvidia were also sued in a proposed class action lawsuit in California that accuses them of defrauding shareholders by concealing his ties with the suspected Chinese spy. The lawsuit alleges the company lied to the media about the relationship, “who is suspected of seeking to help smuggle Nvidia products to China.” The BBC has contacted Nvidia for comment on the lawsuit.
Asked several times when he became aware of the relationship, Trump said he was informed “over a period of time” but was not specific. “I hope there’s no problem, I believe he is suffering greatly,” the president added.
He said he spoke to Huang on the phone on Monday “just to see if he’s feeling alright,” and that Huang said he “absolutely had no idea that the person in question was a spy.”
Trump has raised concerns that allowing China to lead in AI would supercharge Beijing’s military and surveillance capabilities. The president said he was “sure” Chinese leader Xi Jinping would “ask me about it” when they next met.
Huang has admitted that he was “unfaithful” to his wife and apologized for hurting her and their children. He said on Monday that he was “committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting America’s national security” and would cooperate with the investigation the company had launched.
Huang has also been requested to appear at a joint closed-door briefing for several Congressional committees next week, although it is unclear whether he will appear.
Some workers the BBC spoke to at Nvidia’s Santa Clara headquarters on Monday said it was business as usual despite the intense attention on the company. Nvidia was founded by Huang and two other engineers in 1993.
It originally designed computer chips for gaming, but its decision to shift focus to AI development turned it into the powerhouse it is today.
The White House previously imposed controls on where its advanced products could be sold. The H200, Nvidia’s second most advanced semiconductor, had been restricted over concerns it would give China’s technology industry an edge over the US.
Huang has long opposed restricting sales to China. In January, the Trump administration said it would allow the company to sell its H200 chips to Chinese customers under certain conditions, while its most advanced AI semiconductors, including the GB200 Blackwell super chip, remain blocked from the Chinese market.
