Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits to affair with suspected Chinese spy

Nvidia said it had initiated an independent investigation into CEO Jensen Huang, who admitted on Sunday to having an extramarital affair with a Chinese executive suspected of spying for Beijing. He’ll remain CEO pending the investigation’s outcome.

“I was unfaithful to my wife,” Huang wrote in a company-wide letter seen by Semafor. “My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry.”

“To my colleagues at NVIDIA, including those I have worked alongside for decades, and to our board, partners, and shareholders around the world: you deserve better from me. Leading NVIDIA is the privilege of my life. My responsibility is to serve you and be worthy of your trust. I have fallen short of that responsibility. I am fully committed to NVIDIA and will work to earn back your confidence.”

The revelations come after The New York Times reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had drafted a memo to top Trump administration officials warning that the Nvidia CEO was in a close relationship with Chinese citizen Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed, which builds data centers in Southeast Asia and provides compute to mainland giant Alibaba. US officials fear the company may have acted as a backdoor for funneling export-controlled Nvidia chips to Beijing, the Times reported.

“Regarding the national security concerns raised in news reports, NVIDIA’s Board of Directors has initiated an independent investigation,” the Nvidia CEO wrote.

“I support the investigation and will cooperate fully. I love our country and our company. I am committed to protecting NVIDIA and supporting America’s national security. I am proud and grateful to be an American.”

The Nvidia CEO has acted as a close adviser to the Trump administration on AI, and joined President Donald Trump on a trip to Beijing in May. The president previously greenlit the sale of Nvidia chips to Chinese firms despite a bipartisan push for stricter export controls.

Huang’s missteps comes as a newly Democratic congress is poised to push for stricter export controls on technology like NVIDIA’s advanced chips, and technology executives brace themselves to navigate a much less friendly Washington.

“Today’s news will not slow NVIDIA,” a company spokesperson told Semafor. “Jensen is committed to continuing to lead NVIDIA as CEO without interruption.”

— Ashley Gold and Brendan Ruberry