I was unfaithful to my wife: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits secret affair with Chinese spy Alice Huang; all you need to know about the controversy

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang acknowledged having an extramarital relationship with a business executive suspected by US intelligence of gathering information for Beijing, as the chipmaker's board launched an independent investigation into reports that its founder was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation. While Huang has apologised to his family and company employees saying he was ‘unfaithful’ to his wife, Nvidia said it has no reason to believe that US national security or the company's secrets were compromised.

US President Donald Trump has defended Huang, describing him as an "honourable guy" who has done an "amazing job" for the country. Trump also expects Huang to remain at the helm of Nvidia, adding that the executive deserved to have his side of the story heard.

Also read: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's secret affair: Why did US intelligence suspect Alice Huang of spying for China?


The controversy follows reports by The New York Times and the Financial Times that US intelligence agencies had identified a close relationship between the Nvidia leader and Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman associated with Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed. US intelligence officials reportedly believe she was gathering information for Beijing.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang issues key statement

In a draft email to Nvidia employees, Huang acknowledged having an extramarital relationship, "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did.”

In a separate message reported by The New York Times, he apologised to his family and company employees, taking responsibility for his actions. "I take full responsibility for what I did and the hurt I caused, and I accept the criticism that comes with it," he wrote.

Addressing Nvidia employees, Huang also acknowledged that he had fallen short of his responsibilities towards them. “My responsibility is to serve you and be worthy of your trust. I have fallen short of that responsibility. I am fully committed to Nvidia and will work to earn back your confidence," he said.

He also requested privacy for his family, saying they bore no responsibility for his choices.

Huang has not directly addressed the allegations that the business executive, aka, the Chinese spy was gathering information for the country. He has, however, supported Nvidia's investigation and committed to cooperate with it.

Also read: Nvidia opens probe into CEO Jensen Huang over affair with woman suspected of spying for China

Nvidia announces independent investigation

Nvidia's board of directors announced an independent investigation following reports that Huang had been the target of a foreign intelligence effort. The investigation will be overseen by a committee of independent directors, assisted by external independent legal counsel.

In its statement, Nvidia said, "While the Board has no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised, the Board's inquiry will examine all available information." The company added that the board prioritised US national and economic security, which it said was paramount to Nvidia and its shareholders.

The board also expressed confidence in Huang and his leadership team and said it would provide further updates as appropriate.

Huang, 63, will continue as Nvidia CEO during the investigation, it clarified.

Speaking on Huang meeting thousands of customer executives every year, the company previously said that it regularly receives updates from the US government regarding parties and entities of concern and acts accordingly.

Trump defends Nvidia CEO

Trump has publicly defended Huang amid the controversy, describing him as an honourable person and praising his contribution to the US.

"I have not spoken to him about it. I just know he's a fine person, but you never know what is going on," Trump told reporters. "I think he's an honourable guy," he said, adding that Huang had "done an amazing job for our country".

When asked whether Huang should remain Nvidia's CEO, Trump replied: "I think so. Sure."

Trump also suggested that Huang should be given an opportunity to explain himself. Asked whether he would take Huang on his planned trip to Asia, Trump said, "I don't know, but I'd certainly take him."

The remarks came amid reports that Trump had been briefed on intelligence findings concerning Huang's relationship with the Chinese businesswoman roughly a year ago but had chosen not to act on the information, according to The New York Times.

The Financial Times separately reported that a US government memo based on intelligence information about the alleged relationship had been shared with a small group of senior US officials shortly before Trump travelled to Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The FT also reported that Trump had held multiple meetings with Huang since beginning his second presidential term in 2025. Huang had personally lobbied Trump earlier this year to allow Nvidia to export its H200 chips to customers in China.

Who is Alice Huang, the Chinese spy?

Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, is a Chinese national and former senior executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data centre company.

According to The New York Times, Alice Huang was previously a television reporter in China before becoming a senior executive at Megaspeed. The company buys equipment powered by Nvidia chips and rents computing capacity to businesses, including Chinese technology company Alibaba.

US intelligence agencies reportedly concluded that Alice Huang had developed a close relationship with Jensen Huang and was passing information directly to Beijing.

The Financial Times reported that the US intelligence community believed she had been recruited by China's Ministry of State Security, the country's main intelligence agency.

Jensen Huang had previously described their association as a normal business relationship.

Megaspeed and its connection to the Nvidia case

Megaspeed has come under US scrutiny over concerns that Nvidia's advanced AI chips may have been diverted to China.

The New York Times reported that Megaspeed had been examined for potentially steering Nvidia AI chips to China. According to the publication, the firm bought more than $4.8 billion worth of Nvidia chips over the past two years.

The Financial Times reported that Megaspeed was spun off from a Chinese gaming company in 2023. US authorities have been investigating companies, particularly in Southeast Asia, suspected of helping China obtain advanced chips in violation of US export restrictions.

Nvidia had previously launched an internal investigation into allegations concerning the diversion of chips through Megaspeed but assessed that there was no evidence of wrongdoing, according to the Financial Times.

US lawmakers step up action

Senior Republican lawmakers in the US House of Representatives earlier asked Huang to brief Congress about the allegations and Nvidia's security protocols.

In a letter dated November 4, Brian Mast, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; John Moolenaar, who leads the China Select Committee; and Eric Crawford, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, sought a closed-door briefing from Huang on November 18.

The lawmakers sought answers about the New York Times report and Nvidia's security protocols against foreign adversary espionage. The letter said the allegations raised significant national security concerns regarding China's access to sensitive US technology and information.

The lawmakers added that Congress needed to determine the extent to which US national security had been placed at risk.

Meanwhile, Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat who is due to chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from January, pledged to open an investigation.

"Congress will investigate and get answers," Coons wrote on X, referring to what he described as the relationship between the Trump administration, Chinese spies and AI billionaires.

Political and corporate reactions to Jensen Huang affair

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to comment on the allegations when asked about the report, describing it as an "internal corporate matter", according to AFP.

Technology analyst Dan Ives of investment bank Yorkville Ives described the investigation as a "black eye moment" for Huang. Ives said the controversy could trigger multiple congressional inquiries and create an overhang on Nvidia's stock.

He also warned that the development could increase scrutiny of the company's chip sales to China, which remains a key issue in Washington.

Huang's position at Nvidia could also come under scrutiny depending on the outcome of the board's investigation, Ives said, adding that the CEO's importance to the company's global strategy made the controversy a risk for the stock.

Separately, Elon Musk responded to a social media post about the controversy. The post suggested that while Huang had done something incredibly foolish, there might have been no malicious intention. Musk replied, "I agree."

Nvidia stock down

Nvidia shares came under pressure in out-of-hours trading following the announcement of the board investigation.

Perpetual futures trading on the Hyperliquid exchange and after-hours shares trading on the Blue Ocean system showed Nvidia shares at around $180.30 on Monday, down approximately 3.4% from Friday's Nasdaq closing price of $186.64.

The development has raised concerns about the potential impact of the controversy on investor sentiment, particularly given Huang's importance to Nvidia's business and its global AI strategy.

South Korean govt intervenes in Nvidia CEO case

South Korea stated that Nvidia's contracted GPU deliveries to the country are expected to proceed without disruption despite the controversy surrounding Huang.

Vice Science Minister Ryu Jemyung told a parliamentary budget committee on Monday that 10,000 GPUs funded under a 2025 supplementary budget had already arrived and were in use. GPUs planned for 2026 were under contract and expected to enter service this year.

"We expect production and the delivery schedule for contracted volumes to proceed without disruption," Ryu said, adding that the ministry was monitoring developments and discussing prices and schedules with Nvidia Korea.

Meanwhile, a planned visit to South Korea by Huang's daughter Madison Huang, an Nvidia senior director, was cancelled.

South Korean AI startup Rebellions said her planned visit to its headquarters and a dinner with partners had been called off due to unavoidable internal circumstances at Nvidia.

Kakao Mobility also cancelled a photo session and question-and-answer event with her. However, the company said its business agreement with Nvidia would proceed, with senior director Gaurav Agarwal attending instead.

Nvidia AI Day Seoul, a two-day event expected to attract around 2,000 participants to discuss physical AI, agentic AI and infrastructure, was proceeding as planned, according to South Korean media.

The investigation's findings, the response from US lawmakers and any further developments concerning Megaspeed's business dealings with China will be key to determining the wider implications for Nvidia.