US President Donald Trump said the FBI was examining Jensen Huang’s relationship with a person alleged to have Chinese intelligence ties. He relayed Huang’s denial of knowing the person was a spy. China rejected the allegations, Nvidia announced an independent inquiry, and congressional committee leaders requested a closed briefing about the company’s security protections.
US President Donald Trump said on 9 November that the FBI was examining Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang’s relationship with a person alleged to have Chinese intelligence ties.[1], [2]
Trump said he had spoken to Huang and believed his denial of knowing the person was a spy. The bureau declined to comment to the BBC. Trump did not describe the inquiry’s scope or when it began.[1]
Nvidia had announced an independent investigation and said it had no reason to believe company secrets or national security were compromised. China’s foreign ministry rejected the allegations as groundless and intended to malign China. Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, had worked at Singapore-based Megaspeed, which did business with Nvidia. She is not related to Jensen Huang. Claims of intelligence ties remain allegations.[1]
Leaders of several congressional committees requested a joint closed briefing on Nvidia’s protections against foreign intelligence activity and Huang’s interactions with the person involved. Huang said he would cooperate with the company’s inquiry and remained committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting US national security. Sales of advanced Nvidia chips to China have been a source of disputes between Washington and Beijing; Huang has previously opposed restrictions on those sales.[1]
