Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang seen as target of China spy plot; Trump briefed but took no action: Report

A Chinese businesswoman who allegedly passed intelligence to Beijing had developed a close relationship with Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, raising concerns among American officials about the potential access China could gain to one of the most influential figures in the artificial intelligence industry, according to a New York Times exclusive report.

The woman, Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, is a Chinese citizen and a senior executive at a Singapore-based data centre company, Megaspeed International.

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US intelligence agencies had been scrutinising her over suspicions that she was helping China obtain advanced Nvidia AI chips despite American restrictions, the NYT report said.

American officials subsequently concluded that she was an intelligence asset for Beijing, using her position to funnel information to China. Surveillance of Huang also revealed her close relationship with Jensen Huang, it added.

ET Online could not independently verify the details reported by NYT.

Trump briefed on intelligence findings but took no action

The findings raised concerns in Washington because Jensen Huang is a central figure in the global AI industry and an influential ally of US President Donald Trump. The United States has sought to restrict China's access to advanced technology that could help it match or surpass American capabilities in artificial intelligence.

According to the report, Trump was briefed on the intelligence findings roughly a year ago but chose not to act on the information.

The report attributed the decision to Trump's reluctance to disrupt Nvidia's chip sales, which have helped drive economic activity and stock-market gains, and to concerns about further complicating trade relations with China.

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US suspicions over access to advanced AI chips

American officials had already suspected that Alice Huang was helping China circumvent restrictions on its access to advanced AI chips, the report said.

The account was based on interviews with people briefed on the surveillance, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the findings involved classified intelligence, as well as other officials, industry executives and analysts, NYT noted.

The report did not establish in the supplied account that Jensen Huang himself was involved in any intelligence activity or was aware of the alleged activities attributed to Alice Huang.

Nvidia CEO says dealings with Megaspeed were ‘normal’

Responding to the allegations, Jensen Huang said Nvidia's dealings with Megaspeed International were proper and that the company had checked whether its AI processors had been illegally diverted to China.

“We’ve studied all their deployments of our GPUs and counted every one,” Huang said in an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday. “And I think the US government also has as well.”

Huang said his interactions with Alice Huang were typical of those with Chinese customers and executives, adding that she was no longer with Megaspeed. “Our relationship, our interactions, have been related to Megaspeed, and it was all completely normal and not unusual,” he said.

The Nvidia CEO also said the US government had not informed him of its suspicions about Huang Le, Bloomberg reported.

Megaspeed is among companies that may have attempted to divert chip shipments meant for data centres outside China into the US, as per reports in Western media. Nvidia has faced scrutiny over the potential smuggling of its advanced processors as Washington tightens export controls, while Beijing has also sought to encourage domestic chip development.

The restrictions have curtailed Nvidia's access to China, a major chip market. Although the Trump administration has allowed limited shipments of older AI-related products, the approval has not translated into material shipments.