World

US Intelligence Memo Links Nvidia CEO to Suspected Chinese Spy

By Trisha Mahajan

A U.S. intelligence memo cited by the Financial Times alleges that Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang was romantically involved with Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore‑based data‑centre company Megaspeed. U.S. intelligence believes Alice Huang was recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security, the country’s main intelligence agency. The memo, compiled earlier this year from information gathered by American intelligence agencies, was reportedly shared with a small group of senior U.S. government officials shortly before President Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The allegations arise amid heightened scrutiny of Megaspeed, which was spun off from a Chinese gaming firm in 2023. Megaspeed purchases Nvidia chips to build data centres and rents computing capacity to customers, including those in China. U.S. officials have been investigating Southeast Asian companies suspected of helping divert advanced American chips to China, as part of efforts to restrict Beijing’s access to high‑performance semiconductors that could strengthen its artificial‑intelligence and military capabilities.

The intelligence findings follow a New York Times report that U.S. officials had identified Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, as a suspected Chinese intelligence asset. The report said surveillance had revealed her close relationship with Jensen Huang and that she was allegedly passing information to Beijing. The developments have raised national‑security concerns in Washington, particularly over the possibility that someone with access to Nvidia’s chief executive could provide sensitive information to China amid intensifying competition between the two countries in artificial intelligence.

The allegations also spotlight Nvidia’s engagement with the Trump administration. The chief executive has repeatedly lobbied Trump to ease restrictions on chip exports to China, arguing that American companies should be allowed to compete in the Chinese market. Earlier this year, Huang personally pushed for permission to sell Nvidia’s H200 chips to Chinese customers. Trump subsequently allowed certain chip exports under an arrangement that included a 25 percent payment to the U.S. government. Huang has also held several meetings with Trump since the president began his second term in 2025. According to the Financial Times, he was not initially included among the business leaders accompanying Trump on Air Force One for his May visit to China. After learning of the omission, Trump reportedly called Huang, who later joined the presidential delegation during a stopover in Alaska. Huang also attended a state dinner hosted by Trump for Xi during the Chinese president’s September visit to the U.S.

Nvidia declined to comment on the intelligence memo or the allegations of a romantic relationship between its chief executive and Alice Huang. The company has previously maintained that Huang meets thousands of customer executives every year. In response to the earlier New York Times report, Nvidia said it had already debunked claims that Megaspeed was involved in smuggling its chips into China. Company spokesman John Rizzo said customers such as Megaspeed received ordinary business information rather than sensitive trade secrets or information relevant to national security. Megaspeed said its current leadership took the allegations seriously and was committed to establishing the facts. China’s embassy dismissed the accusations as groundless smears against the country.