Nvidia’s board has launched an independent investigation into allegations that chief executive Jensen Huang was the target of a Chinese intelligence operation.
A committee of independent directors, supported by outside legal counsel, will oversee the review, the US chipmaker said. The board added that it had no reason to believe Nvidia’s secrets or national security had been compromised.
“The NVIDIA Board is initiating an independent investigation in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort,” the company said.
Nvidia said US national and economic security remained a priority for the board and its shareholders. A spokesperson said Mr Huang fully supported the review and remained committed to leading the company.
The allegations centre on Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed, which buys artificial intelligence chips from Nvidia.
US authorities were reported to be investigating Alice Huang. US intelligence officials believe she was an agent for China’s Ministry of State Security, while Jensen Huang was alleged to have had a close relationship with her.
Alice Huang was previously a television reporter in China before becoming a senior executive at Megaspeed, which has become one of Nvidia’s biggest customers in south-east Asia. The company bought more than 4.8 billion US dollars’ worth of Nvidia chips over the past two years, according to the report.
China has rejected allegations of an espionage operation targeting Jensen Huang, describing them as “groundless speculation”.
In a separate statement, Jensen Huang apologised for being “unfaithful” to his wife and for hurting her and their children.
“There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry,” he said, adding that he had fallen short of his responsibilities to Nvidia’s employees, board and shareholders.
Mr Huang said he would cooperate fully with the investigation and work to regain the trust of the company’s stakeholders. “I love our country and our company. I am committed to protecting NVIDIA and supporting America’s national security. I am proud and grateful to be an American,” he said.
