“Nvidia” is investigating its president after he admitted to having a romantic relationship with a Chinese spy

Nvidia announced, on Sunday, the opening of an investigation into its CEO and one of its founders, Jensen Huang, after he admitted to the company’s board of directors that he had an intimate relationship with an executive who US intelligence services concluded was a spy working for China, according to the New York Times.

Huang's relationship with the woman, named Alice Huang, became a matter of concern to the US government, after surveillance operations revealed that she was transmitting information directly to Beijing. This revelation raised troubling questions, given that Huang is considered one of the most prominent figures influencing the artificial intelligence revolution, in addition to being an influential ally of US President Donald Trump.

In a letter to the company, Huang apologized, saying: “I cheated on my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. “There is no excuse for what I did, and I am deeply sorry.”

Nvidia's board of directors said that "there is no reason to believe that national security or Nvidia's secrets have been compromised," but stressed that "the board's investigation will examine all available information." He added that Huang “fully supports the review and has pledged to cooperate with it.”

The board of directors explained that Huang, 63, will continue to lead the company during the investigation period.

As one of the founders of NVIDIA, Huang established a unique management structure within the company, allowing him to control all aspects of its business, with his direct supervision of about 60 officials who report to him.

John Rizzo, a company spokesman, said: “Today’s news will not slow down Nvidia’s business.” Jensen is committed to continuing to lead the company as CEO without interruption.”

The New York Times reported last month that US intelligence services discovered that Huang had established a close relationship with a Chinese citizen who works in buying electronic chips, and US officials concluded that she was collecting intelligence information for Beijing.

This official is known as Alice Huang, or Huang Li, and her biography indicates that she worked as a television reporter in China before becoming a senior executive at a data center company based in Singapore, which turned into one of Nvidia's largest clients in Southeast Asia.

The company purchased electronic chips worth more than $4.8 billion over the past two years.

NVIDIA continued its business dealings with Huang's company, Megaspeed, even after the New York Times revealed last year that the US Commerce Department was investigating the company's possible assistance to China in smuggling artificial intelligence chips subject to export restrictions. Jensen Huang and Alice Huang are not related to each other.

Nvidia and Huang had initially confirmed that there was nothing disturbing or unusual in his relationship with the Chinese official.

In an interview with Bloomberg last month, Huang said that his communication with Alice Huang was “related to Megaspeed, was completely normal and did not involve anything unusual.”

* New York Times service