Nvidia responds to report on CEO Jensen Huang-alleged Chinese spy interactions: ‘No trade secrets shared’

The response came after The New York Times reported that US intelligence agencies had concluded Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, was a Chinese intelligence asset allegedly funneling information to Beijing.

Nvidia has said that Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed was like any other customer and that its CEO Jensen Huang’s interactions with Alice Huang, a Megaspeed executive under scrutiny by US intelligence agencies, were routine business engagements. The company also denied sharing sensitive trade secrets or information relevant to national security with customers.

The response came after The New York Times reported that US intelligence agencies had concluded Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, was a Chinese intelligence asset allegedly funneling information to Beijing. The report also said surveillance had revealed that she had developed a close relationship with Jensen Huang, raising concerns in Washington about potential access to sensitive information at a time of intensifying US-China competition over artificial intelligence.

John Rizzo, a spokesman for Nvidia, said, as per NYT: “Jensen’s interactions with Ms. Huang are not unusual or unexpected. Meetings with customers are part of a C.E.O.’s job; Jensen talks with thousands of customer executives every year.”

Quick answers to key questions

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QUESTIONS

Nvidia said the interactions were routine business engagements. The company said Jensen Huang meets with customer executives as part of his role.

Nvidia said Megaspeed received ordinary business information, not sensitive trade secrets or information relevant to national security. The report did not establish that Nvidia secrets reached the Chinese government.

The report said US intelligence agencies suspected Alice Huang, a Megaspeed executive, of being a Chinese intelligence asset and helping direct advanced Nvidia AI chips to China. These were reported allegations, not findings established in the article.

No. The article said the report did not establish that Jensen Huang knowingly shared sensitive information with her or that Nvidia trade secrets reached the Chinese government.

Megaspeed said its current leadership takes the allegations seriously and is committed to finding out the facts. It retained outside counsel for an internal investigation and said it had notified the US government that it would cooperate.

Rizzo added that Nvidia was “confident that if the U.S. government believes that any person is a threat to American industry, it would let us know”.

Customers such as Megaspeed, he said, “receive ordinary business information — not sensitive Nvidia trade secrets — and zero information relevant to national security.”

Megaspeed, meanwhile, told the news outlet that its “current leadership” takes the allegations “extremely seriously and is committed to getting to the facts behind these allegations”.

The company said it had retained outside counsel to conduct a thorough internal investigation and had notified the US government of its commitment to cooperate.

What did the NYT report say?

According to the New York Times, American intelligence agencies had been investigating Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen and senior executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed, over suspicions that she may have helped direct advanced Nvidia artificial intelligence chips to China.

The media outlet reported that as per US officials Alice Huang was a Chinese intelligence asset who was providing information to Beijing. Surveillance allegedly revealed her close relationship with Jensen Huang, the Nvidia chief executive, prompting concerns among US officials about the potential implications for America.

The report said the findings were particularly sensitive because Washington has been working to restrict China's access to advanced AI chips and other technologies that could help it compete with the United States.

Given Nvidia's central role in the development of advanced AI systems, the reported intelligence raised questions about whether information obtained through Alice Huang could have provided Beijing with insights into the company or US policy on advanced chip exports.

The report did not establish that Jensen Huang knowingly shared sensitive information with her or that Nvidia trade secrets had reached the Chinese government.

Trump was briefed on intelligence findings: Report

NYT reported that US President Donald Trump was briefed about the intelligence findings a year ago but he chose not to act on them.

According to the news outlet, Trump has been reluctant to disrupt Nvidia's chip sales, which contribute to complicate trade relations with China.

The account was based on interviews with people briefed on the surveillance, who spoke anonymously because the findings involved classified intelligence, as well as other officials, industry executives and analysts.

The report also raised questions about whether Alice Huang could have obtained information about Trump's thinking on issues related to AI chips and US-China relations. The news outlet noted that the subject could become particularly significant ahead of Trump's planned visit to China.

Nvidia chip purchases and surveillance continue

US officials had already suspected Alice Huang of helping China circumvent restrictions on its access to advanced AI chips, the report said. The reported conclusion that she was providing information to Beijing added another dimension to the investigation.

People briefed on the surveillance told the New York Times that the monitoring of Alice Huang was continuing and that companies affiliated with her had continued purchasing Nvidia chips this year.

The report also said Jensen Huang had not received a defensive briefing — a warning sometimes provided to Americans whom US authorities believe are being targeted by foreign intelligence services.