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By Steve Mollman
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NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has spent years arguing that American technology companies should be allowed to compete in China, putting him at the center of Washington’s debate over restrictions on advanced artificial intelligence chips.
His position is receiving renewed attention after Huang admitted he had been unfaithful to his wife and NVIDIA opened an independent investigation into reports that he may have been targeted by a Chinese intelligence operation.
The New York Times reported last month that U.S. intelligence determined Alice Huang, a Chinese business executive who developed a relationship with the NVIDIA CEO, had been recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security to collect intelligence on him. The newspaper reported that the alleged operation sought information about American AI chips and potentially to influence NVIDIA to push for greater Chinese access to advanced U.S. technology.
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Jensen Huang has not publicly identified Alice Huang as the person with whom he had an affair. The Times reported Sunday, however, that he acknowledged to NVIDIA's board that he had been intimate with a business executive whom U.S. intelligence had determined was working for Chinese intelligence.
China has denied the espionage allegations, calling them unsubstantiated and an attempt to smear the country. NVIDIA’s board said in a statement Sunday that it had “no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised.”
The timeline below shows what Huang has said and done publicly regarding China and U.S. chip restrictions alongside developments involving Alice Huang, Megaspeed and the reported U.S. intelligence operation.
The chronology does not by itself establish that Alice Huang influenced Jensen Huang's positions on China or U.S. export policy. No public evidence has established that Jensen Huang knowingly acted on behalf of Chinese interests or knew of Alice Huang's alleged intelligence role.
Newsweek contacted NVIDIA and Megaspeed, including seeking comment from Alice Huang, as well as the White House, the Commerce Department and the House committees involved.
2022: US Restricts Advanced AI Chips to China
The United States began imposing major restrictions on exports of advanced AI chips to China in 2022, seeking to limit Beijing's access to computing technology that could have military and national-security applications.
NVIDIA subsequently offered less-powerful chips designed to comply with U.S. export controls while continuing to serve customers in China.
Huang would increasingly argue that keeping American technology companies competitive in China served U.S. interests by maintaining China's dependence on American technology and making it more difficult for domestic rivals such as Huawei to replace U.S. suppliers.
That position has sometimes put him at odds with officials and lawmakers who view Chinese access to advanced AI chips as a national-security issue.
2023: Alice Huang Takes Leadership Role at Megaspeed
Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, became managing director of Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed International in March 2023, when the company changed its name from 7Road International, according to corporate records cited by the Wall Street Journal.
She resigned as a director by November 10 of that year, according to the records. The Journal reported that she nevertheless continued to act as a company leader and introduced herself to a business partner as Megaspeed's CEO as recently as August 2025.
Megaspeed became part of an NVIDIA partnership program in November 2023, according to a company document cited by the Journal.
Early 2024: Alice Huang Meets Jensen Huang at NVIDIA Event
Alice Huang represented Megaspeed and met Jensen Huang at an NVIDIA event in California in early 2024, according to people familiar with the matter cited by the Wall Street Journal.
It remains unclear when the two first met or when their reported personal relationship began.
June 2024: Jensen Huang and Alice Huang Seen Together in Taipei
The two appeared together in LinkedIn photos with other technology executives around the Computex technology exhibition in Taipei in June 2024.
The New York Times reported that Megaspeed began a multibillion-dollar purchase of advanced AI equipment around that period. A Megaspeed sister company in Malaysia bought at least $4.8 billion in equipment containing NVIDIA chips and technology between June 2024 and February 2026, according to trade records cited by the newspaper.
...
Late 2024: US Government Scrutinizes Megaspeed
The Commerce Department began investigating Megaspeed in late 2024 over suspicions that it was helping China gain access to restricted NVIDIA technology, according to the Times.
The newspaper reported that a Commerce Department official visited a Megaspeed data center in Malaysia and saw NVIDIA equipment still packed in boxes, raising questions about whether the equipment was being installed there.
U.S. agencies also conducted electronic surveillance of Alice Huang, the Times reported. During that surveillance, communications emerged involving an American citizen who was subsequently identified as Jensen Huang.
Officials who had seen the intelligence believed the relationship was romantic, the Times reported in October 2026. Jensen Huang, however, did not at that time receive a defensive briefing from U.S. officials warning that he could be targeted by a foreign intelligence service.
2025: Jensen Huang Steps Up China Chip Advocacy
Huang increasingly argued that keeping U.S. technology out of China could backfire by encouraging Chinese companies to adopt domestically developed alternatives.
Before 2025, Huang seldom visited Washington and largely stayed out of politics, according to the New York Times. His engagement increased as the Trump administration considered policies affecting NVIDIA's ability to sell chips in China.
The Times reported that Huang and his wife, Lori Huang, traveled to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort as the administration weighed restrictions, with the NVIDIA executive making the case that American chipmakers should be able to compete in the Chinese market.
2025: Trump Loosens Some NVIDIA China Chip Restrictions
Huang successfully lobbied the Trump administration to loosen some restrictions on NVIDIA sales to China.
Trump permitted NVIDIA to sell certain chips to approved Chinese customers, with the U.S. government taking a 25 percent cut of the sales, according to the Times.
Huang also pushed for permission to sell more powerful technology in China. Trump considered allowing NVIDIA to sell its advanced Blackwell AI chips there before backing away from the idea.
May 2025: Jensen Huang and Alice Huang Seen at Taipei Dinner
Jensen Huang and Alice Huang appeared together again at a group dinner in Taipei on May 22, 2025.
Footage from Taiwanese broadcaster CTI distributed by Agence France-Presse showed Alice Huang kissing Jensen Huang on the cheek while he put his arm around her. The footage also showed Alice Huang running fingers down Jensen Huang’s lower back; the two later left in the same car, according to Singapore-based Channel News Asia.
August 2025: NVIDIA Contacts Commerce Over Megaspeed Investigation
Commerce Department investigators were pursuing their case involving Megaspeed when NVIDIA general counsel Tim Teter contacted them in August 2025, according to the New York Times.
According to the Times, Teter told investigators that Jeffrey Kessler, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, had given NVIDIA permission to reach out to bureau employees about the investigation. Some investigators were concerned by the outreach because NVIDIA had not been ruled out as a subject of the investigation, according to the newspaper.
Kessler later told officials to continue handling the case "strictly by the book" and did not order investigators to provide NVIDIA with information, the newspaper reported.
After officials discussed the outreach and disclosed it to partner law-enforcement agencies, the Justice Department asked Commerce to pause its work, according to the Times. The investigation was transferred to the Justice Department, which the newspaper reported is conducting a criminal inquiry into Megaspeed.
NVIDIA spokesperson John Rizzo told the Times that the company consults with government officials to answer questions, provide information and seek guidance, saying it works to stop would-be smugglers while serving lawful customers.
The newspaper did not report that Jensen Huang directed the outreach or that it was connected to his personal relationship with Alice Huang.
2025: Trump Is Briefed on Intelligence
Trump was briefed last year about intelligence concerning Alice Huang and her relationship with Jensen Huang, according to the Times, which did not give a more precise date.
Spring 2026: Intelligence Memo Details Alleged Chinese Operation
A classified memo circulated among senior Trump administration policymakers in the spring of 2026 cited intelligence that Alice Huang had been recruited by China's Ministry of State Security to target Jensen Huang, according to the Times.
The newspaper reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw the drafting of the memo.
The Times said U.S. officials assessed that the operation was intended to collect intelligence on Jensen Huang and American AI chips and potentially influence NVIDIA to push for its most advanced chips to be made available in China.
May 2026: Huang Says China Shouldn't Get NVIDIA's Best Chips
Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in May, Huang has also said China should not receive NVIDIA's most advanced technology AI chips, including Blackwell and Rubin.
The United States should have "the first, the most and the best," Huang said, while arguing that American companies should simultaneously be allowed to compete around the world.
October 2026: Huang Calls China Chip Restrictions a 'Mistake'
Huang offered one of his clearest criticisms of U.S. policy in an interview with Bloomberg recorded in October and released after the controversy over his relationship erupted.
"I did my best to inform the policymakers in the United States of the importance of engaging the Chinese markets and making sure that we serve the market for as long as we can," Huang said. "I think we made a mistake. And this mistake is hard to unwind."
Huang pointed to the number of AI researchers in China and said competition with the country should not mean treating it as an enemy.
"I've been very clear that even though we compete against China, they're not our enemies," he said.
"If we care deeply about the safety of the world with respect to artificial intelligence, then of course we must open dialogues. We must work with them in every possible way."
Huang also said the United States and China shared aspirations for economic success.
"We should respect that aspiration," he said. "We should be comforted by nations that want prosperity, that want better for their people."
October 29-30, 2026: Espionage Allegations Become Public
The allegations became public when the New York Times reported on October 29 that U.S. intelligence agencies had identified Alice Huang as someone passing information to Beijing.
Speaking to Bloomberg the following day, Jensen Huang defended NVIDIAs dealings with Megaspeed and described his own interactions with Alice Huang as business-related.
His interactions with her were "all completely normal and not unusual," he said.
"We've studied all their deployments of our GPUs and counted every one," Huang said of Megaspeed.
November 8, 2026: Jensen Huang Admits Infidelity
In a November 8 email to NVIDIA employees, Huang acknowledged that he had been unfaithful to his wife, Lori Huang. CNBC obtained and published the staff email.
"I was unfaithful to my wife," he said. "My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."
Huang did not identify the person with whom he had the affair.
He also addressed the national-security concerns raised by the reporting, saying he would cooperate with the board's investigation and was committed to protecting NVIDIA and supporting U.S. national security.
November 8, 2026: NVIDIA Opens Investigation Into Jensen Huang
The same day, NVIDIA's board announced an independent investigation into reports that its CEO had been “the target of a foreign intelligence effort.”
A committee of independent directors assisted by outside counsel will oversee the inquiry, and Huang has committed to cooperating.
"The Board prioritizes U.S. national and economic security, which is paramount to the interests of NVIDIA and its shareholders," the board said in a statement.
It added: "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."
NVIDIA has said Huang will continue running the company during the investigation.
November 9, 2026: China Rejects Espionage Allegations
China rejected the underlying espionage allegations Monday.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular news briefing that "the so-called Chinese spy allegation is unsubstantiated" and "nothing but smears against China."
Did Alice Huang Influence Jensen Huang's China Stance?
The allegations raise that question, but the publicly available evidence does not provide an answer.
The Times reported that U.S. intelligence assessed Alice Huang had been recruited for an operation whose potential objectives included influencing NVIDIA to advocate for greater Chinese access to advanced American chips.
But it has not been publicly established if she successfully influenced Jensen Huang, that she played any role in shaping his views on China, or that Huang knew of her alleged connections to Chinese intelligence.
There is also no public evidence that Jensen Huang directed NVIDIA's 2025 outreach to Commerce investigators examining Megaspeed or that the outreach was connected to his relationship with Alice Huang.
Huang's publicly stated case for selling American technology in China has focused on maintaining U.S. companies' competitiveness and preventing Chinese companies such as Huawei from displacing them.
George Chen, a partner and chair of digital practice at Washington-based strategic advisory firm The Asia Group, cautioned against conclusions unsupported by evidence.
"The key questions are whether he was aware of any espionage activities and whether any confidential or strategically sensitive information was compromised," Chen said in comments reported by the Associated Press.
"Those questions require evidence rather than speculation."
Congress Seeks Jensen Huang Briefing Over China Concerns
The controversy has also drawn congressional scrutiny.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford requested that Huang appear for a joint closed-door briefing on November 18. The official House Foreign Affairs Committee announcement says the lawmakers want information about Huang's interactions with Alice Huang and NVIDIA's safeguards against foreign espionage.
"The issue of PRC [the People's Republic of China] infiltration and access to cutting-edge U.S. technology is core to the investigative work of our three committees this Congress," the lawmakers said. "It is vital that Congress determines the extent to which U.S. national security has been placed at risk."
They asked Huang to accept the November 18 date or propose an alternative by November 11.
FBI, NVIDIA Investigations Into Jensen Huang: What Happens Next?
Trump said Monday that the FBI was looking into the matter, adding another layer of scrutiny to NVIDIA's independent board investigation.
Trump said he had spoken with Huang earlier Monday and asked whether he knew the woman was a spy. According to Trump, Huang replied: "I had no idea that she was a spy."
"I really believe him," Trump said.
Trump also continued to back the NVIDIA chief, saying he thought Huang would "be in good shape." A day earlier, the president had said Huang should remain CEO and described him as an "honorable guy."
NVIDIA, meanwhile, said a committee of independent directors assisted by outside counsel will investigate reports that Huang was targeted by a foreign intelligence effort. The company has said it has no reason to believe U.S. national security or its secrets were compromised, and Huang will continue serving as CEO during the investigation.
Investors are also watching closely. Dan Ives, partner and senior managing director at Yorkville Ives & Co**.**, an investment banking and research firm, said in a Sunday note that Huang remains central to NVIDIA's success and strategy, and predicted he would continue as CEO in the near term.
Ives nevertheless described the episode as a "black-eye moment" and warned that it would increase political scrutiny of NVIDIA's sales to China and U.S. restrictions on AI-chip exports.
Newsweek reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Rhian Morgan.
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