Technology
Nvidia Launches Probe After Reports of CEO Targeted by Foreign Intelligence
Nvidia announced on Sunday that it is launching an independent investigation following recent reports that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort. The company’s board said it has no reason to believe that U.S. national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, but the inquiry will review all available information. Huang has expressed full support for the review and pledged to cooperate.
Top Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have urged Huang to brief Congress this month about a New York Times report from October that alleged he had a close relationship with a Chinese businesswoman who allegedly passed information to Beijing. The Times also reported that a memo drafted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was circulated among top policymakers in the Trump administration last spring, citing intelligence that the businesswoman was a spy for China’s Ministry of State Security.
Axios reported on Sunday, citing a draft email from Huang to employees, that he admitted to having a romantic relationship with a suspected Chinese spy and took full responsibility for his actions. In the draft email, also seen by Reuters, Huang wrote: "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did."
Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Axios report. Despite the concerns, Huang and his wife, Lori Huang, were invited to a state dinner at the White House in September for Chinese President Xi Jinping and seated at the top table with President Donald Trump and Xi.