SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
Washington: The board of American chipmaker Nvidia has launched an investigation into chief executive Jensen Huang’s relationship with an alleged Chinese spy, as Huang admitted his infidelity in a company memo.
Reports that Huang, one of the most powerful and important figures in artificial intelligence and technology, had an affair with data centre company executive and suspected Chinese spy Alice Huang have rocked the industry and Washington.
On Sunday (US time), the board said it was initiating an independent investigation “in light of recent reporting that founder and chief executive Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort”.
A committee of independent directors would oversee the probe, assisted by outside independent counsel.
“The board prioritises US national and economic security, which is paramount to the interests of NVIDIA and its shareholders,” the statement said.
“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. Jensen fully supports the review and has committed to co-operating with it.”
The Nvidia board said it had full confidence in Huang and his leadership team. At the same time, Huang emailed staff acknowledging his infidelity.
“I owe my family and all of you an apology,” Huang said in the email. “I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did.”
The chief executive said he took full responsibility for his actions, and that the company’s board, partners and shareholders “deserve better from me”.
He affirmed that he would fully co-operate with the board’s investigation. “I love our country and our company,” Huang said. “I am committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting America’s national security. I am proud and grateful to be an American.”
Alice Huang is a Chinese citizen and an executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data centre company and Nvidia customer. It provides cloud computing services to Chinese companies such as e-commerce giant Alibaba.
Late last month, The New York Times reported that US intelligence agencies had concluded Alice Huang was funnelling information to Beijing. Through surveillance, they had also detected her close relationship with the Nvidia chief executive.
The Times reported that US officials briefed President Donald Trump on this information about a year ago, but that he “chose not to do anything with the information”.
Trump has championed Nvidia and Jensen Huang as leading lights of America’s artificial intelligence industry. The company is a critical part of the US’ edge over China in advanced AI.
The Nvidia chief executive is an adviser to the president on AI through the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology and is a frequent guest at the White House. In September, he and other technology chief executives attended an intimate state dinner with Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
With Reuters
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.
