Nvidia's CEO admits affair with suspected spy - investigated internally

"There is no excuse for what I did. I am truly sorry," writes Jensen Huang in an internal message to Nvidia staff. Primarily, he complains about his wife and their children, but also because he betrayed the trust of his colleagues.

Since last weekend, information has been successively leaked to the New York Times and the Financial Times, which finally revealed what he now admits. But also that the woman he had his affair with, a manager at Singapore-based Megaspeed, was recruited by China's secret police Guoanbu.

Her mission is said to have been to provide Beijing with sensitive information, and she is said to have enabled the forwarding of Nvidia's desirable chip to China via Megaspeed - this in violation of American export restrictions in the technological arms race.

Three Republican members of the House of Representatives called Jensen to a closed hearing on the matter on Thursday, and tentatively this is to take place on November 18. Now Nvidia itself also announces that it intends to start its own investigation "in light of the latest reports that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the subject of foreign intelligence activities".

The investigation shall consist of independent board members, supported by external independent legal counsel. "The board prioritizes the national and economic security of the United States, which is of crucial importance to the interests of Nvidia and its shareholders," the board writes in a press release.

It emphasizes that there is no reason to believe that national security or Nvidia's secrets have been compromised, and Jensen says he fully supports the investigation.

- We are convinced that if we had been exposed to a real threat, the US government would have informed us, says a spokesperson for Nvidia to the BBC.

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