Who is Alice Huang? S’pore-linked executive at centre of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s affair and alleged spy probe
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has admitted to cheating on his wife amid reports that he had an affair with a Chinese businesswoman suspected of passing information to Beijing.
The woman, identified by US media as Alice Huang, is a former executive of Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed International.
The allegations have prompted Nvidia’s board to launch an independent investigation into whether its CEO was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.
According to Reuters, Jensen apologised to his family and employees in a message on Nov 8, taking full responsibility for his infidelity.
“My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry,” he said.
However, Jensen did not identify the woman involved in his apology.
Who is Alice Huang?
Alice, also known as Huang Le, is a Chinese businesswoman who previously held a senior position at Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based company involved in the artificial intelligence industry.
According to CNA, citing corporate records reported by The Business Times, she became Megaspeed’s managing director in March 2023, when the company changed its name from 7Road International.
She resigned as a director in November that year.
Megaspeed describes itself as a business partner of Nvidia’s cloud computing operations in the Asia-Pacific region.
The company has come under scrutiny over suspicions that it helped Chinese technology companies obtain advanced Nvidia chips despite US export restrictions.
According to The New York Times, US intelligence officials believed Alice had been gathering information for Beijing through her relationship with Jensen.
The allegations have not been proven in court, and Alice has not been publicly charged with espionage.
Why has Nvidia launched an investigation?
Nvidia’s advanced chips are used to power artificial intelligence systems, making them highly sought after by technology companies worldwide.
The US has imposed restrictions on exports of some of its most advanced chips to China over national security concerns.
Against this backdrop, reports of Jensen’s relationship with Alice raised questions about whether sensitive information could have been shared with Chinese intelligence.
On Nov 8, Nvidia announced that an independent committee of its board, assisted by external lawyers, would investigate whether Jensen had been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.
However, the company stressed that it had no reason to believe its trade secrets or US national security had been compromised.
Jensen has pledged to cooperate with the investigation and will remain Nvidia’s CEO.
China has also rejected the spying allegations, calling them baseless attempts to discredit the country.
Singapore denies investigating Alice’s alleged spy links
The controversy has also drawn a response from Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
In a statement on Oct 31, MHA rejected claims in a Wall Street Journal report suggesting that Singapore officials had expressed concerns about Alice’s relationship with Jensen or her alleged links to Chinese intelligence.
“We would like to make clear that neither the Singapore Government nor its officials said this. And there were no such investigations conducted in respect of Alice Huang,” the ministry said.
However, the Singapore Police Force confirmed that investigations into Megaspeed were ongoing, without providing further details.
Police also reiterated that Singapore did not condone businesses using their connections to the country to circumvent foreign export controls.
Nvidia and Jensen face shareholder lawsuit
The controversy has since led to legal action against Nvidia and its CEO.
According to Reuters, a proposed class-action lawsuit was filed in California on Nov 9, accusing Jensen and Nvidia of misleading investors by failing to disclose his alleged relationship with Alice and the potential national security concerns.
The shareholders claim that the lack of disclosure threatened Nvidia’s reputation and business prospects.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
Nvidia’s shares fell 4.3 per cent on Nov 9, wiping about US$190 billion off the company’s market value.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he had spoken to Jensen about the allegations.
According to Reuters, Trump said Jensen told him he had no idea the woman was allegedly involved in espionage.
This article was written with the assistance of AI.
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