Nvidia’s board has opened an independent investigation after reports that its founder and chief executive, Jensen Huang, was the target of a foreign intelligence effort, BBC News and Al Jazeera reported. Huang has admitted being unfaithful to his wife.
The board announced the inquiry on Sunday 8 November, US time. It had reported no findings by Monday 9 November.
The board said it “is initiating an independent investigation in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort”, according to The Guardian. BBC News quoted the same reason.
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The Inquiry
A “committee of independent directors” will conduct the probe with outside counsel, Al Jazeera reported. Huang will continue to lead Nvidia while it runs.
The board’s statement, as carried by BBC News, 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.”
The BBC reported that the board said the chief executive was committed to continuing to lead the company. The board continued to have “confidence in Jensen and his leadership team”, Al Jazeera reported.
Huang’s Statement
Huang said he took “full responsibility”, BBC News reported.
In a statement reported by the BBC, he said: “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.”
Al Jazeera described his words as an email to Nvidia staff on Sunday 8 November.
On the security question, Huang said, according to BBC News: “Regarding the national security concerns raised in news reports, Nvidia’s Board of Directors has initiated an independent investigation. I support the investigation and will cooperate fully.”
The Reported Background
Al Jazeera, citing a New York Times report of 29 October, said a Chinese woman named Alice Huang, or Huang Le, sought to cultivate close ties with Jensen Huang to glean information about Nvidia’s technology.
US intelligence officials believed she was a spy for Beijing, according to the New York Times report, BBC News said. That is the newspaper’s report, not a finding.
She is no relation to Jensen Huang and is linked to Singapore-based data centre firm Megaspeed, the BBC reported. The New York Times also reported that Megaspeed had become one of Nvidia’s largest buyers, purchasing some US$4.8bn in equipment, according to Al Jazeera.
It remains unclear what information Alice Huang allegedly passed to Beijing, or how valuable it was, BBC News reported. She did not respond to the New York Times’ request for comment.
China has rejected the allegations as “groundless speculation”, according to the BBC. The Chinese Embassy in Washington denied any allegations of spying, Al Jazeera reported.
Congress and the White House
House Republicans have called on Huang to appear and testify on 18 November, Al Jazeera reported.
Three House Republican committee leaders asked about Nvidia’s “security protocols against foreign adversary espionage”, according to BBC News. “It is vital that Congress determines the extent to which US national security has been placed at risk,” the three said in a statement carried by Al Jazeera.
US President Donald Trump said he had not spoken to Huang since news of the investigation emerged, BBC News reported.
“I just know he’s a fine person, but you never know what’s going on,” Trump told reporters, according to the BBC.
Al Jazeera quoted him speaking from the tarmac in West Palm Beach, Florida: “I haven’t heard he’s done anything wrong. He dealt with somebody, but so does everybody else.”
What the Board Has to Find
Nvidia is worth some US$4.5 trillion, according to the BBC, and Huang has led it for more than 30 years. Its chips supply OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and Google, Al Jazeera reported. prw’s earlier coverage of OpenAI and Anthropic before the Senate is in the Technology archive.
In January 2026 the Trump administration said it would allow H200 sales to Chinese customers under certain conditions, BBC News reported.
The board says it has no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised. Its inquiry will examine all available information, and Huang will lead Nvidia while it does.
Sources: BBC News, “Nvidia launches investigation into CEO’s affair with suspected Chinese spy”, 8 November 2026 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3dxw10rjn9no); Al Jazeera, “US chipmaker Nvidia investigates CEO Jensen Huang over affair”, 8 November 2026 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/8/us-chipmaker-nvidia-investigates-ceo-jensen-huang-over-affair); The Guardian, “Nvidia opens investigation after report CEO Jensen Huang was target of foreign intelligence”, 9 November 2026 (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/08/nvidia-jensen-huang-investigation)
Photo: Coolcaesar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Nvidia’s headquarters on San Tomas Expressway in Santa Clara, California, photographed in August 2018.
