CEO, managing director or executive? The confusion over Alice Huang’s real role at Nvidia customer Megaspeed

Alice Huang has been described by different titles in reports as CEO, managing director, founder or senior executive of Megaspeed, the Singapore-based Nvidia customer now at the centre of a controversy involving Nvidia chief Jensen Huang and allegations of Chinese espionage.

The different descriptions have raised questions about her actual position at the company and how she became involved in its business. Bloomberg describes her as Megaspeed’s founder, while other reports identify her as a senior executive and managing director. The CEO title has also appeared in coverage of her, although the available corporate records do not confirm a formal CEO appointment.

Huang, also known as Huang Le, is a Chinese citizen and is not related to Nvidia’s Jensen Huang. She was an executive at Megaspeed, which became a major buyer of Nvidia products and supplied computing capacity to technology companies in Asia.

Why Alice Huang has been called Megaspeed’s CEO

The CEO title has appeared in coverage of Alice Huang, but public reports don't provide clear confirmation of a formal appointment to that position.

OfficeChai has referred to her as a CEO, while other profiles have described her as a senior executive. Corporate records cited by Business Insider identify her as a director and managing director of Megaspeed.

Business Insider reported that Huang was appointed to both positions on March 6 2023, alongside Cang Yang. Both resigned from their respective positions on November 10, 2023.

While the Business Times also reported that Huang joined Megaspeed as a managing director when the company changed its name in March 2023. The records cited in these reports document her managing-director and director positions but do not list her as CEO.

Bloomberg describes her as Megaspeed’s founder

Bloomberg’s November 9 report described Huang as the person who founded Megaspeed in 2023 after a career in private equity and television.

The company's history goes back further. Megaspeed was incorporated in Singapore in 2015 as 7Road International and was renamed in March 2023, according to corporate records reported by The Business Times.

Bloomberg reported that the business emerged from 7Road Holdings, a Chinese video game company, after the ownership of its Singapore subsidiary changed. Huang took control through an entity called Huang Le Limited before it sold Megaspeed to another Singapore company in November 2023.

The company’s earlier incorporation and Bloomberg’s description of Huang as its founder refer to different stages of its history. The Singapore entity existed before the Megaspeed name and ownership structure took shape in 2023.

Megaspeed’s Nvidia business attracts US scrutiny

Megaspeed became a significant Nvidia customer through its cloud computing operations in Southeast Asia. Bloomberg reported that the company had imported more than $4.6 billion worth of Nvidia products and rented computing capacity to Chinese technology company Alibaba.

US authorities have scrutinised Megaspeed over suspicions that it helped Chinese businesses gain access to advanced Nvidia chips restricted from export to China. Megaspeed has denied wrongdoing and said it complies with applicable regulations.

Singapore police have separately confirmed that investigations into Megaspeed are ongoing. Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs clarified on October 31 that neither the government nor its officials had investigated Alice Huang over her alleged links to Chinese intelligence or her relationship with Jensen Huang.

What is known about the allegations involving Jensen Huang

Reports have alleged that Alice Huang was recruited by Chinese intelligence to gather information about Nvidia and its chief executive.

The controversy intensified after Jensen Huang acknowledged in a message to Nvidia employees that he had been unfaithful to his wife. He did not name the woman involved in that message.

Nvidia’s board has opened an independent investigation into whether its CEO was targeted by a foreign intelligence effort. The company has said it has no reason to believe that US national security or its trade secrets were compromised.

Alice Huang’s exact title remains difficult to pin down from publicly available information. Bloomberg calls her Megaspeed’s founder, corporate records identify her as a managing director and director, and some media profiles have used the CEO title. The available records do not confirm a formal CEO appointment, but they also do not rule out that she used that title within the company.