US President Donald Trump has confirmed that the FBI is examining allegations surrounding Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and his reported relationship with a woman suspected of gathering intelligence for China.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he had personally discussed the matter with Huang and expressed confidence that the technology executive would emerge from the investigation without serious consequences.
“I think he’ll be in good shape,” Trump said, describing Huang as a “very honourable man”.
The president also said Huang had denied knowing that the woman at the centre of the allegations was allegedly connected to Chinese intelligence activities. “I asked him [Mr Huang] about that and he said he had absolutely no idea that the person in question was a spy.”
The controversy follows a New York Times report concerning Huang’s alleged close association with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based technology company Megaspeed. US intelligence officials reportedly suspected that she was collecting information on behalf of Beijing. She has no family connection to the Nvidia chief.
Nvidia announced on Sunday that it had initiated an independent examination of the matter after reports suggested its chief executive may have been targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.
The company said it had found no indication that its confidential business information or US national security interests had been compromised.
Huang has acknowledged having an extramarital relationship with a business executive and issued an apology to his wife and Nvidia in a public letter published on the company’s website. He did not identify the individual involved.
The 63-year-old executive also recognised that the reports had raised concerns serious enough to prompt scrutiny from Nvidia’s board. He expressed support for the review and pledged full cooperation, reaffirming his commitment to the company and US national security.
Meanwhile, Beijing has rejected allegations that it attempted to establish an intelligence relationship with Huang. On Monday, Chinese officials dismissed the claims as unsupported and characterised them as an effort to damage China’s reputation.
