US intelligence believes Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had romantic ties with Chinese spy : Report
The US government believes Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang had a romantic relationship with a Chinese woman suspected of spying for Beijing, according to a US intelligence memo cited by the Financial Times (FT).
The memo, prepared earlier this year using information gathered by American intelligence agencies, alleged that Huang was romantically involved with Alice Huang , an executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed. US intelligence believes she was recruited by China's Ministry of State Security, the country's main intelligence agency, sources told FT.
The findings were reportedly circulated among a small group of senior US government officials shortly before President Donald Trump travelled to Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The allegations come amid growing scrutiny of Megaspeed over concerns that advanced Nvidia chips may have been diverted to China in violation of US export controls . The company, which was spun off from a Chinese gaming firm in 2023, buys chips to build data centres and rents computing capacity to customers, including those in China.
What is the alleged China spy link?
The intelligence findings follow a New York Times report that US officials had identified Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, as a suspected Chinese intelligence asset. The report said surveillance had revealed her close relationship with Jensen Huang and that she was allegedly passing information to Beijing.
The developments have raised national security concerns in Washington, particularly over the possibility that someone with access to Nvidia's chief executive could have provided sensitive information to China amid intensifying competition between the two countries in artificial intelligence.
US officials have also been investigating companies in Southeast Asia suspected of helping divert advanced American chips to China. Washington has sought to restrict Beijing's access to high-performance semiconductors that could strengthen its AI capabilities and military modernisation.
The allegations also put a spotlight on Huang's engagement with the Trump administration. The Nvidia chief has repeatedly lobbied Trump to ease restrictions on chip exports to China, arguing that American companies should be allowed to compete in the Chinese market.
Earlier this year, Huang personally pushed for permission to sell Nvidia's H200 chips to Chinese customers. Trump subsequently allowed certain chip exports under an arrangement that included a 25 per cent payment to the US government.
Huang has also held several meetings with Trump since the president began his second term in 2025. According to FT, he was not initially included among the business leaders accompanying Trump on Air Force One for his May visit to China. After learning of the omission, Trump reportedly called Huang, who later joined the presidential delegation during a stopover in Alaska.
Huang also attended a state dinner hosted by Trump for Xi during the Chinese president's September visit to the US.
How has Nvidia responded?
Nvidia declined to comment on the intelligence memo or the allegations of a romantic relationship between its chief executive and Alice Huang, FT reported. The company has previously maintained that Huang meets thousands of customer executives every year.
Responding to the earlier New York Times report, Nvidia said it had already debunked claims that Megaspeed was involved in smuggling its chips into China. Company spokesman John Rizzo said customers such as Megaspeed received ordinary business information rather than sensitive trade secrets or information relevant to national security.
Megaspeed had earlier said its current leadership took the allegations seriously and was committed to establishing the facts. China's embassy had dismissed the accusations as groundless smears against the country.
The memo, prepared earlier this year using information gathered by American intelligence agencies, alleged that Huang was romantically involved with Alice Huang , an executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed. US intelligence believes she was recruited by China's Ministry of State Security, the country's main intelligence agency, sources told FT.
The findings were reportedly circulated among a small group of senior US government officials shortly before President Donald Trump travelled to Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The allegations come amid growing scrutiny of Megaspeed over concerns that advanced Nvidia chips may have been diverted to China in violation of US export controls . The company, which was spun off from a Chinese gaming firm in 2023, buys chips to build data centres and rents computing capacity to customers, including those in China.
What is the alleged China spy link?
The intelligence findings follow a New York Times report that US officials had identified Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, as a suspected Chinese intelligence asset. The report said surveillance had revealed her close relationship with Jensen Huang and that she was allegedly passing information to Beijing.
The developments have raised national security concerns in Washington, particularly over the possibility that someone with access to Nvidia's chief executive could have provided sensitive information to China amid intensifying competition between the two countries in artificial intelligence.
US officials have also been investigating companies in Southeast Asia suspected of helping divert advanced American chips to China. Washington has sought to restrict Beijing's access to high-performance semiconductors that could strengthen its AI capabilities and military modernisation.
The allegations also put a spotlight on Huang's engagement with the Trump administration. The Nvidia chief has repeatedly lobbied Trump to ease restrictions on chip exports to China, arguing that American companies should be allowed to compete in the Chinese market.
Earlier this year, Huang personally pushed for permission to sell Nvidia's H200 chips to Chinese customers. Trump subsequently allowed certain chip exports under an arrangement that included a 25 per cent payment to the US government.
Huang has also held several meetings with Trump since the president began his second term in 2025. According to FT, he was not initially included among the business leaders accompanying Trump on Air Force One for his May visit to China. After learning of the omission, Trump reportedly called Huang, who later joined the presidential delegation during a stopover in Alaska.
Huang also attended a state dinner hosted by Trump for Xi during the Chinese president's September visit to the US.
How has Nvidia responded?
Nvidia declined to comment on the intelligence memo or the allegations of a romantic relationship between its chief executive and Alice Huang, FT reported. The company has previously maintained that Huang meets thousands of customer executives every year.
Responding to the earlier New York Times report, Nvidia said it had already debunked claims that Megaspeed was involved in smuggling its chips into China. Company spokesman John Rizzo said customers such as Megaspeed received ordinary business information rather than sensitive trade secrets or information relevant to national security.
Megaspeed had earlier said its current leadership took the allegations seriously and was committed to establishing the facts. China's embassy had dismissed the accusations as groundless smears against the country.
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