The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated on Monday that the FBI has an open investigation into the case related to an alleged Chinese spy who had a romantic relationship with Jensen Huang, the influential founder and CEO of Nvidia, the largest chip manufacturer in the world and one of the companies crucial to the development of artificial intelligence (AI).
The American president is a friend of Huang, one of the richest men in the world thanks to his participation in Nvidia, and has defended him despite doubts about his behavior. "We will examine it. I know that the FBI is investigating it and I think it will come out well," he declared this Monday night at the White House when asked about the controversy, after acknowledging that he had chatted with Huang and that he assured him that he did not know that the woman was a spy.
“I asked her that question: ‘Did you have any idea I was a spy?’” she told reporters. “He responded, ‘I had no idea she was a spy,’ and I really believe him,” she said. Trump maintains a relationship of trust with Nvidia founder Jensen Huang, 63. They talk on the phone frequently, he has become a kind of advisor on AI issues, and the president often invites him to important White House ceremonies.
The United States secret services and officials from other departments have been investigating Alice Huang, the alleged Chinese government spy, for years, who is not related to Jensen Huang, despite the fact that they share a last name. Trump was informed a year ago about the suspicions surrounding the Chinese businesswoman and her relationship with an influential American citizen.
“I'd have to check it out,” he said, trying to avoid the issue. "I would certainly consult with the intelligence services. They could have been mentioned. The truth is that it didn't impact me too much," he added without offering further details.
Last spring, Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally supervised a highly classified secret service report warning senior White House officials about the activities of the alleged Chinese spy.
Trump assured this Monday that he did not remember receiving that report. The close relationship between the Republican president and the CEO of Nvidia has generated suspicions. “No, I didn't find out then,” the American leader said when reporters asked him if he already knew about Huang's relationship with the spy when he invited him to travel aboard Air Force One during his last trip to China.
“I talked to him today just to see how he was doing,” Trump said. “First of all, I was surprised, because I consider him a person of great quality,” he added during an impromptu appearance at the White House.
Huang admitted over the weekend that he had a romantic relationship with Alice Huang, a Megaspeed company executive who, according to US intelligence reports, was actually a spy in the service of the Chinese government.
"I read his statement and I think he is suffering a lot, especially for his family, for his wife, who he loves, and for the rest of his family. Without a doubt, he is suffering," Trump said.
The board of directors of Nvidia, a leading maker of artificial intelligence (AI) chips, said it is launching an independent investigation following recent reports that Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence operation.
The investigation stems from information published by The New York Times about the relationship between Huang and the alleged Chinese spy.
As reported this Monday by the newspaper, the Department of Commerce was investigating Megaspeed for allegedly providing China with access to advanced artificial intelligence chips manufactured by Nvidia.
A US intelligence report noted that Alice Huang had been recruited to gather information on Jensen Huang as part of an initiative by Beijing's main spy agency aimed at obtaining details about US artificial intelligence chips and influencing the most advanced models to become available to China.
Huang admitted the relationship in an internal message sent to company employees on Sunday: "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did," as reproduced by Axios.
