The unexpected link between Jensen Huang and Alice Huang? How her billionaire husband fits in

SAN FRANCISCO: Alice Huang’s connection to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang reportedly dates back several years, before their relationship came under scrutiny, with a new report suggesting that her husband’s business dealings may have brought the two into the same circle.

According to a report by The Information, Alice’s husband, Chinese private-equity investor Kang Wei, had known Jensen through business contacts in the 2010s.

Kang was involved in acquiring Chinese video game companies at a time when gaming was a major source of demand for Nvidia’s graphics processing units.

A source familiar with Kang and Alice told the outlet that Kang had spoken about meeting Jensen during that period.

The report adds a new dimension to questions surrounding how Alice developed a relationship with the Nvidia chief, although it does not establish precisely when or how she was introduced to him.

Kang Wei's business links to Jensen Huang

Kang was active in China’s private-equity and gaming industries before Alice became associated with Megaspeed International, a Singapore-based cloud computing and data center company.

The Information reported that Kang’s acquisitions of video game businesses brought him into contact with Jensen during the 2010s.

Nvidia’s GPUs were widely used in gaming before the company became a dominant supplier of chips for artificial intelligence computing.

Alice, meanwhile, reportedly had a background in media and finance before joining Megaspeed in 2023.

The company later emerged as a major Nvidia customer, drawing scrutiny over concerns that advanced chips may have been diverted to Chinese buyers in violation of US export restrictions.

People familiar with Alice told the outlet that she regularly shared photographs of herself with Jensen on WeChat and showed colleagues and customers additional pictures of the two together.

She also reportedly told people that Jensen celebrated her birthday each year, either by having dinner with her or sending her gifts.

The report said Alice’s closeness to the Nvidia chief helped establish her credibility with business contacts in China.

However, the precise nature and timeline of their relationship have not been independently established through the reported business connections.

US intelligence probe puts Alice Huang under scrutiny

Alice has drawn international attention following reports that US intelligence officials believed she was working for Chinese intelligence and gathering information about Jensen and the AI industry.

The allegations remain disputed, and China has rejected claims that she was an intelligence asset.

Nvidia’s board has announced an independent investigation into reports that its CEO was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.

The company said it had no reason to believe that national security or Nvidia’s trade secrets had been compromised.

Jensen admitted in a message to employees on November 8 that he had been unfaithful to his wife, Lori Huang, but did not name the person involved.

He said there was no excuse for his actions and apologized to his wife and children.

The Nvidia chief has previously described the company’s dealings with Megaspeed as normal business interactions.

Alice’s current whereabouts and her response to the allegations remain unclear.