US already knew of Jensen Huang's ties to suspected Chinese spy, report says

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has acknowledged an extramarital affair with a Chinese businesswoman suspected of being a spy for Chinese intelligence, as it emerged that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had overseen the preparation of a classified document warning about their relationship.

The classified document was distributed to senior officials in the Donald Trump administration this past spring, The New York Times reported Sunday (local time), citing multiple sources.

The document was based on electronic surveillance data gathered by US intelligence on Alice Huang — known in Chinese as Huang Le — a former executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data center company.

US authorities examined whether Megaspeed had been involved in smuggling advanced Nvidia AI chips subject to export restrictions into China.

Authorities concluded that Huang Le had been recruited by China's top intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security, and assessed that she and Jensen Huang were "in a romantic relationship."

Intelligence officials detected that Huang Le was in a close relationship with an American citizen, and upon identifying that individual, determined it was Jensen Huang.

It was revealed for the first time that Rubio had personally warned the Trump administration about these findings.

The New York Times noted that senior administration officials were already aware of Jensen Huang's personal life and the allegations surrounding his ties to Chinese intelligence — even as he wielded considerable influence over President Donald Trump by advocating for deregulation of AI chip exports.

According to The New York Times, Trump himself had been briefed more than a year ago on the electronic surveillance data concerning Huang Le and the intelligence community's assessment that she was working on behalf of Chinese intelligence. Trump, however, took no separate action.

Nvidia's board of directors issued an official statement the same day, saying it had "launched an independent investigation in connection with recent reports that founder and CEO Jensen Huang was targeted by a foreign intelligence service," Yonhap reported.

Huang issued a separate statement acknowledging he "was unfaithful" to his wife. "My actions have hurt my wife and children, and there is no excuse for what I did. I apologize to my family and to everyone at the company," he said.

He said his family had shown him love and support throughout his life, and that he had let them down. He added that he would take responsibility and accept criticism for his actions.

To his wife and family, he said: "I love you. I know that saying I'm sorry doesn't undo what I've done. I hope that my family can heal from this hurt and that, in time, I can earn back your trust."

On running the company, he said leading Nvidia was "the privilege of my life" and pledged to work to earn back the trust of his colleagues. Addressing national security concerns, he said: "I love our country and our company. I will do everything in my power to protect Nvidia and to safeguard US national security. I am proud and grateful to be an American."