Washington, Nov 10: U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged on Monday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is conducting a counterintelligence inquiry regarding Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang, following revelations concerning an extramarital affair with an alleged Chinese intelligence operative.
Speaking to journalists during a White House briefing, Trump expressed personal confidence in the executive whose graphics processing architectures power the global artificial intelligence boom. “I know the FBI is looking into it in terms of something else, and I think that he’ll be in good shape,” Trump stated, adding that he had spoken directly with Huang by telephone. “He said he had absolutely no idea that the person in question was a spy. I just know Jensen very well; I think he’s a very honourable man.”
The controversy emerged following disclosures that Huang informed Nvidia’s board of directors about an intimate relationship with a commercial client identified as Alice Huang (also known as Huang Le). According to a report by The New York Times, American intelligence assessments determined the individual—previously an executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed International—was collecting information on behalf of Beijing’s security apparatus.
In response to the public revelations, Huang issued an open letter of apology to his family and Nvidia staff, pledging complete and unreserved cooperation with federal investigators while emphasizing his steadfast commitment to protecting American national security and proprietary AI computing technologies.
The development has spurred prompt congressional oversight in Washington. Senior lawmakers, including Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, stated that congressional committees have requested detailed counterintelligence briefings to ascertain whether critical design data or sensitive supply-chain details concerning Nvidia’s high-performance AI semiconductors were compromised. Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry dismissed the espionage allegations as unfounded pretext aimed at stifling commercial technology ties.
Published by True Roots Media