How Alice Huang got close to Jensen Huang and put Nvidia under national security scrutiny

WASHINGTON, DC: Nvidia co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang, whose chips are powering the global AI revolution, is now facing a very different kind of scrutiny.

An alleged affair has evolved into a potential national security controversy, prompting the company to launch an independent investigation.

The fallout has now moved beyond Nvidia's boardroom and onto Capitol Hill, with three House Republican committee leaders asking Huang to attend a closed-door briefing on his affair and the security concerns surrounding it.

Huang did not reveal the name of the woman he was involved with, but The New York Times reports that she has been identified as Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive whom US intelligence agencies reportedly suspected of working as an asset for China's Ministry of State Security.

The concerns reportedly stemmed from US surveillance suggesting that Alice was sharing information with Beijing.

Her alleged intelligence connections have taken on added significance because of her reported proximity to Jensen, a central figure in America's AI ambitions and an influential ally of President Donald Trump.

Who is Alice Huang and what are her China links?

Last month, it was reported that US intelligence agencies had discovered that the Nvidia boss had been involved in a close relationship with a Chinese citizen and chip buyer whom US officials suspected of gathering intelligence for Beijing.

The chip buyer has now been identified as Alice, who also goes by the name Huang Le.

According to her biography, Alice has a professional background spanning television journalism, banking and investment management.

She reportedly began her career as a television reporter with Hunan TV and China Central Television (CCTV), China's state broadcaster.

In March 2023, she became managing director of Megaspeed, following its renaming from 7Road International, a Singapore-based company with roots in the Chinese mobile gaming industry.

However, by November of that year, she had resigned as a director, around the time ownership of the company was transferred to an entity called Swiftdata.

The New York Times also traced her links to Shanghai Hexi Investment Management and a network of companies operating across Shanghai and Zhejiang.

According to the newspaper, this network held a stake in a cybersecurity subsidiary of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, a major Chinese military technology conglomerate.

Her involvement first came to light in 2024, when an image from an industry party, posted on LinkedIn, appeared to show the leather-jacket-clad Nvidia boss sitting next to a long-haired woman wearing glitzy jewellery who was believed to be Alice.

The following year, the two were reportedly seen together at a dinner hosted by Jensen at a Chinese restaurant in Taipei during Computex, the island's leading technology exhibition.

Journalists gathered outside the restaurant, capturing footage through its glass windows and doors as Jensen mingled with guests alongside a woman identified as Alice, who was dressed in pink.

Footage from media livestreams appeared to show Jensen putting his arm around her as she leaned in to kiss his right cheek.

In another moment, Alice was seen following the Nvidia chief back into the restaurant after he stepped outside to speak with reporters. She appeared to run her fingers along his lower back as they entered.

Nvidia and Jensen initially said there was nothing problematic or unusual about his relationship with Alice.

In an interview with Bloomberg News last month, he said that his interactions with Alice had been “related to Megaspeed, and it was all completely normal and not unusual.”

What US intelligence uncovered about Alice Huang

Reports citing US intelligence assessments said Alice Huang was suspected of having links to China's Ministry of State Security and sharing information with Chinese authorities.

The reported intelligence findings raised concerns that her access to influential figures in the American technology industry could have served a purpose beyond commercial networking.

Officials who had seen the intelligence reportedly said they were certain the relationship was romantic.

This spring, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly oversaw the drafting of a highly classified memo detailing intelligence that Alice had been recruited by China's Ministry of State Security to target Jensen.

The memo was shared among US officials before President Trump's trip to China, where Alice also arrived after initially being excluded.

Reports also suggest that Trump was briefed roughly a year ago that US intelligence agencies had electronically surveilled Alice and believed she was operating on behalf of Chinese intelligence services.

Despite the warning, Trump chose not to act, viewing Nvidia's chips as vital to America's competition with China in the AI sector.

However, currently available information does not establish that Alice knowingly assisted a foreign intelligence operation, disclosed confidential information or was aware of any alleged intelligence activities.

Nor has public reporting demonstrated that Alice accessed Nvidia's trade secrets or influenced the company's commercial decisions.

Why Megaspeed's Nvidia chip purchases raised alarms

The scale of Megaspeed's Nvidia purchases was a key reason behind US intelligence's initial interest in the case.

The Singapore-based data center company has become one of Nvidia's biggest customers in Southeast Asia. It has bought more than $4.8 billion worth of chips since June 2024.

Megaspeed has also reportedly been renting computing capacity to customers, including Chinese technology company Alibaba.

The US restricts exports of advanced AI chips to China, and officials suspected that some chips supplied to Megaspeed's network were being illegally diverted to the country.

The Guardian reported that US officials suspected Alice of helping smuggle chips and had placed her under surveillance.

A US Commerce Department official who visited a Megaspeed data center in Malaysia reportedly found Nvidia equipment still in boxes.

Nvidia has said it complies with the law and has found no evidence of smuggling.

Meanwhile, Liu Chang, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy, rejected the major allegations, calling The New York Times' reporting “unsubstantiated” and “nothing but smears against China.”