Who is Alice Huang, the Chinese businesswoman linked to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s affair and spy probe?

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — From television journalism in China to the multibillion-dollar artificial intelligence industry, Alice Huang’s reported career has taken her through banking, investment management and, most recently, a US intelligence controversy involving Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang.

The Chinese businesswoman, also known as Huang Le, has come under scrutiny after The New York Times reported that US intelligence officials suspected her of having been recruited by China's intelligence services to gather information on the Nvidia chief.

The allegations, reportedly contained in a classified US intelligence memo, remain unproven. Huang has not been charged with any crime, and Beijing has rejected the claims.

So what is known about her?

According to NDTV, a profile in a Chinese private-fund database lists Huang as a former television reporter who worked for Hunan TV and state broadcaster CCTV.

She reportedly later moved into finance, working at HSBC as an assistant to the president of its private banking division before becoming a vice-president at CITIC Securities.

However, aspects of her employment history have been questioned. The New York Post reported that a Hunan TV executive had never heard of her, while the newspaper was unable to locate her profile on CCTV’s website.

Chinese investment records also identify Huang as a former executive director and fund manager at Shanghai Hexi Investment Management, a company reportedly linked to Chinese gaming firm 7Road.

That connection preceded her involvement with Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data centre company that became a major Nvidia customer.

Megaspeed’s corporate history can be traced to 7Road International, the Singapore-based overseas arm of 7Road.

The business was reportedly owned by Huang Le Limited, led by Alice Huang, before being sold to Swiftdata in 2023. Huang continued to be publicly associated with Megaspeed, where she was identified as a senior executive and managing director.

According to trade records cited by The New York Times , Megaspeed’s Malaysian affiliate, Speedmatrix, purchased at least US$4.8 billion (RM19.5 billion) worth of advanced AI equipment containing Nvidia chips between June 2024 and February 2026.

The purchases attracted scrutiny from US authorities investigating whether advanced Nvidia chips subject to American export restrictions were being diverted to China.

The New York Times reported that a US Commerce Department official visiting a Malaysian data centre in late 2024 found Nvidia equipment still packed in boxes, raising questions about its intended destination.

Nvidia has maintained that its internal review found no evidence of illegal chip diversion, while Megaspeed has said it is investigating the allegations.

There has been no publicly established finding that Huang personally participated in any illegal diversion of Nvidia chips.

Huang’s association with Jensen Huang, who co-founded Nvidia in 1993, has also come under scrutiny.

Photographs published online reportedly showed them attending business gatherings in Taipei in June 2024 and May 2025. Nvidia initially defended their interactions as ordinary business dealings.

On November 8, Jensen Huang acknowledged an extramarital relationship in a message to Nvidia employees, although his apology did not identify the woman involved. Media reports have linked the relationship to Alice Huang, who is not related to the Nvidia chief despite sharing his surname.

The same day, Nvidia’s board announced an independent investigation into reports that its chief executive had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.

“While the Board has no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, the Board’s inquiry will examine all available information,” the company said.

Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs said on October 31 that its authorities had not investigated Huang over her alleged intelligence connections or reported relationship with Jensen Huang. It separately confirmed that investigations into Megaspeed were ongoing.

With the allegations against Huang unproven, her reported career and business connections have nevertheless drawn attention to the increasingly complex relationship between global AI investment, US semiconductor export controls and China’s access to advanced computing technology.