Nvidia has opened an investigation into co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang's relationship with a businesswoman whom U.S. intelligence agencies say is a Chinese spy, according to the source.
The source reports that U.S. intelligence agencies are concerned that Alice Huang, who is affiliated with a cloud company and an Nvidia customer called Megaspeed, has been passing information to Beijing. The source attributes this account to reports in The New York Times and the Financial Times.
In an email to staff on Sunday, Jensen Huang said he had an affair with the woman. He wrote: "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry." The source says Nvidia's board has opened an independent investigation into the spying allegations.
The board said in a statement that it has "no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised," but that its inquiry "will examine all available information." An Nvidia spokesperson said Huang is committed to continuing as CEO without interruption.
Megaspeed has been accused of helping restricted Chinese companies acquire Nvidia AI chips. Nvidia representatives previously said Megaspeed had already been investigated for evading export controls. The U.S. restricts exports of Nvidia's most advanced AI chips to China but has approved certain older models.
Three House Republican committee chairs sent Huang a letter on Wednesday asking him to sit for a closed-door briefing with lawmakers on Nov. 18. Nvidia reports third-quarter earnings on Nov. 17.