Spy targeting Nvidia CEO was alleged China intelligence service recruit: NYT

The Chinese businesswoman, with whom Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang had alleged ties, was recruited as a spy for China's Ministry of State Security, The New York Times reported, citing a memo circulated among policymakers in the Trump administration.

On Friday, three House Republican committee chairs have asked Nvidia CEO to address, behind closed doors, the reported links with a Chinese businesswoman suspected of providing information to Beijing, Axios reported.

Nvidia has denied the allegations as "baseless".


A top executive at a Singapore-based data centre firm named Megaspeed faced intense scrutiny over potential involvement in diverting advanced Nvidia AI chips towards China, as outlined in a report by The New York Times. US authorities reportedly determined that she operated as a Chinese intelligence asset, transmitting information back to Beijing.

According to the report, surveillance of the executive, identified as Chinese national Alice Huang or Huang Le, revealed that she maintained a close association with Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang.

US President Donald Trump had expressed uncertainty over his confidence in Jensen Huang as an adviser on US technology policy amid the alleged links with the Chinese businesswoman, as per the Washington Post.

Speaking to reporters at his annual Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Trump said he wanted to continue backing Huang but would wait for further information before concluding.

"I would like to say yes. I mean, unless we find out something to the contrary," Trump said when asked whether he still had confidence in Huang as an adviser. "I've always found Jensen Huang to be very aboveboard. But you know, you're dealing in a very complex issue," he added.

Trump said he was unaware of the specific intelligence concerns but expressed hope that Huang would be cleared of any suspicion. "We hope everything's okay with Jensen. We'll check it out. We're going to check it out very closely," he said.

Calling Huang a "great" and "brilliant" person, Trump added, "When it comes to chips, there's never been anyone like him." As per the report, the Nvidia chief executive successfully lobbied the administration during Trump's second term to reverse stricter export controls governing the company's chip shipments to China. He also finalised a deal with Trump permitting the US government to secure a 25 per cent stake in specific Nvidia processors authorised for sale to China.

As the Trump administration considered a comprehensive ban on Nvidia chip exports to China, Huang and his spouse travelled to Mar-a-Lago to persuade Trump to allow technology firms to continue doing business with Beijing.