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American technology company Nvidia has started an independent investigation against its CEO Jensen Huang. The woman with whom Huang had an affair is accused of being a Chinese spy.
Nvidia has said that 'its board has no reason to believe that the company's confidential secrets or information related to national security have been compromised.'
The company also said that its CEO is committed to continuing to lead the company.
Meanwhile, Jensen Huang has admitted to being unfaithful to his wife. He has also apologized for the trouble caused to his children.
According to a report in the American newspaper New York Times, intelligence officials believed that Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang had close relations with Jensen Huang. Officials believed that this woman was spying for Beijing.
What is known about the suspected spy?
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The New York Times reported last month that US intelligence officials believed Alice Huang, who had close ties to the head of Nvidia, was spying for Beijing.
The newspaper quoted anonymous sources as saying that American intelligence agencies were keeping an eye on this Chinese businesswoman. Their conclusion was that she was working for Beijing.
It is said that during surveillance, a conversation between Alice Huang and an American citizen was detected. The American citizen was later identified as Jensen Huang through a process called "unmasking."
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It is not yet clear what information Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, allegedly provided to Beijing, how important it was and when she began gathering intelligence.
According to the report, during surveillance, a conversation was detected between the suspected spy and an American citizen. Alice Huang did not respond to the newspaper's requests for comment.
He is related to Singapore based data center company Megaspeed. The company told The New York Times last month that its current leadership took the allegations seriously and had appointed outside legal counsel to conduct an internal investigation.
What are people saying in China
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China has earlier rejected allegations of running an espionage campaign targeting the Nvidia chief. China has described these claims as "baseless speculation".
Some Chinese social media users are considering it as just a case of 'love affair'. People on Chinese social media are surprised that Jensen Huang has accepted the affair.
The hashtag 'Jensen Huang admitted extramarital affair' received nearly 10 million views within a few hours. At the same time, many other hashtags including 'The person with whom Jensen Huang cheated' are also becoming popular.
However, given the tightly controlled environment in China, there are signs of censorship and in some cases self-imposed censorship.
The Chinese media's reaction to the spying allegations is also limited. While these media outlets published stories on Huang's statement, they did not mention national security concerns and allegations that Alice Huang was a Chinese spy.
Many users on social media seem to be considering it as just a marital dispute. "He wants to get a divorce and keep some of his assets," wrote one Weibo user.
Another user wrote, "He also made the same mistake that any man can make."
This comment points to a phrase used in a 1999 statement made by actor Jackie Chan regarding his affair.
One user asked, "Is he a Chinese spy or an American spy?"
Another user wrote, "This is just political maneuvering."
Jensen Huang admitted to having an affair?
Jensen Huang said he takes "full responsibility" for his actions. He also admitted that he had failed in his responsibilities to Nvidia's employees, board and shareholders.
Nvidia is one of the largest companies in the world and is considered to have an important role in making hardware for emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. Jensen Huang has led the company for more than 30 years.
He said, "I was unfaithful to my wife. Because of me, my wife and children suffered. There can be no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."
His statement further said, "As far as the national security concerns raised in the news reports are concerned, Nvidia's board of directors has launched an independent investigation. I support this investigation and will cooperate fully with it."
"I love my country and my company. I am committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting America's national security. I am proud to be an American citizen and I am grateful for that."
A separate statement issued by Nvidia's board of directors said that the investigation will be initiated in view of recent news that the company's founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence operation.
The statement further said, "The Board places the highest priority on the national and economic security of the United States, as it is vitally important to the interests of Nvidia and its shareholders.
"While the Board has no reason to believe that national security or Nvidia's confidential secrets have been compromised, all information available during the investigation will be considered."
what did trump say
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US President Donald Trump said that he has not spoken to the Nvidia chief since the news of the investigation came to light.
"I just know he's a good man, but you never know what's going on," Trump told reporters.
He also said Huang had "done a wonderful job for our country."
On Sunday, reporters asked Trump whether he now believes he "should have acted on the intelligence" at that time.
To this Trump replied, "No, I don't think so. I believe he is an honorable person."
Jenson Huang's role at Nvidia
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Jensen Huang has saved Nvidia from bankruptcy more than once. They had decided to take risks and invest in the field of AI much before the rest of the world.
Their decision to make Nvidia's chips, originally designed for gaming, the best in AI development, has proven to be extremely successful, and the company's market value has reached trillions of dollars.
This development is a big blow to a man who is known for being dedicated to his work and expecting very high levels of performance from his employees.
Nvidia has a central role in the field of AI infrastructure. The company provides chips to companies developing major AI models, including OpenAI and Meta.
The market value of this microchip manufacturing company is around $4.5 trillion, which makes it one of the richest companies ever.
Last week, members of the US Congress wrote a letter to Jensen Huang requesting him to appear before them in view of this alleged affair.
The heads of three Republican committees of the House of Representatives have asked the CEO to appear later this month.
He has been asked to discuss Nvidia's "security protocols to protect against espionage by foreign adversaries" given its alleged ties to Alice Huang.
"Recent reports raise serious national security concerns about China's access to sensitive US technology and information," the letter said.
"In the current term of this Congress, the issue of China's infiltration and its access to cutting-edge American technology is a major part of the investigative work of all three of our committees."
Nvidia's AI chips have been a major focus of the rivalry between the US and China. America has already imposed controls on which countries its cutting-edge products can be sold.
The US had previously imposed sanctions on the sale of Nvidia's second-most advanced semiconductor, the H200, due to concerns that it could give China's technology industry an edge over the US.
In January, the Trump administration had said that it would allow the company to sell its H200 chips to Chinese customers under certain conditions.
We used AI to translate this article, which was originally written in English. A BBC journalist checked this translation before publication. Learn more about how we're using AI.
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