US technology giant Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into claims that its chief executive, Jensen Huang, had a relationship with a woman suspected of spying for China, the company said, as its shares fell in early trading.
Huang admitted in a statement to staff that he had been “unfaithful” to his wife. “There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry,” he wrote.
At the centre of Nvidia’s investigation is Alice Huang, an executive at a Singapore-based data centre company, who was suspected of passing information to Beijing. China rejected the allegations as “entirely groundless” and a “smear intended to malign China.”
Nvidia said it had “no reason to believe” its secrets or national security had been compromised but would “examine all available information.” The firm’s shares initially plunged as much as 8 percent before recovering to trade around 4 percent lower than their Friday close.
US President Donald Trump described Huang as “a fine person, but you never know what’s going on.” Huang has been a frequent visitor to the White House and a key voice on artificial intelligence policy under the Trump administration.
Nvidia’s stock fell in early US trading, while other tech stocks broadly rose.
The allegations come ahead of US President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China next week, where he is due to meet President Xi Jinping.
Nvidia designs advanced chips central to AI development. Since 2022, the United States has imposed export controls aimed at limiting China’s access to its most sophisticated technology.
