Summary

  • US tech giant Nvidia has opened an independent investigation following reports its CEO Jensen Huang had a relationship with a suspected Chinese spy

  • The company, one of the most valuable in the world, says its board has no reason to believe Nvidia's secrets or national security were compromised

  • US intelligence officials believe Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, who had a close relationship with Huang, was a spy for Beijing, according to the New York Times

  • Huang separately admits to having been "unfaithful" to his wife and apologises for hurting her and their children

  • Nvidia, which is seen as central to making the hardware for emerging AI technologies, says Huang was committed to continuing to lead the company

Live Reporting

Edited by Gavin Butler

  1. 'There is no excuse' says Huang as he admits being 'unfaithful' to his wife

    Jensen Huang wears glasses and a black leather jacket during an interviewGetty Images

    Jensen Huang admitted to having been "unfaithful" to his wife and apologised for hurting her and their children, in a statement shared with Nvidia staff on Sunday.

    "There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."

    Addressing his colleagues and staff, he said: "My responsibility is to serve you and be worthy of your trust. I have fallen short of that responsibility."

    His statement continued: "Regarding the national security concerns raised in news reports, Nvidia's Board of Directors has initiated an independent investigation. I support the investigation and will cooperate fully.

    "I love our country and our company. I am committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting America's national security. I am proud and grateful to be an American."

  2. Who is Jensen Huang?

    Nvidia is one of the world's largest companies and seen as central to making the hardware for emerging AI technologies. Jensen Huang has been in charge of it for more than 30 years.

    Huang was born in Taiwan and was nine years old when his family moved to the West Coast in the US.

    He graduated as an electrical engineer from Oregon State University, and then with a masters degree in the same field from Stanford University.

    He married his college sweetheart and lab partner, Lori Mills, also an electrical engineer. The couple have two children.

    Huang worked at US chip firm AMD before co-founding Nvidia in 1993.

    The company was originally known for chips that process graphics, particularly for computer games. Eventually it changed its focus to AI, a field it now dominates.

    Huang has rescued the firm from almost going broke on more than one occasion. The microchip manufacturer is now worth some $4.5 trillion, making it one of the most valuable companies ever.

    It is a central player in AI infrastructure, providing chips to leading developers including OpenAI and Meta.

  3. Nvidia launches investigation into CEO's affair with suspected Chinese spy

    US tech giant Nvidia has opened an independent investigation following reports its CEO Jensen Huang had a relationship with a suspected Chinese spy.

    The company, one of the most valuable in the world, said its board had no reason to believe the company's secrets or national security were compromised, adding that the CEO was committed to continuing to lead the company.

    Separately, Jensen Huang admitted to having been "unfaithful" to his wife and apologised for hurting her and their children.

    US intelligence officials believed that Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, who had a close relationship with Jensen Huang, was a spy for Beijing, according to a New York Times report.

    Jensen Huang said he took "full responsibility" for what he did, adding that he had fallen short of his responsibilities to Nvidia's employees, board and shareholders.

    Follow along as we bring you the latest on this story.