A highly classified memo drafted under the supervision of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned senior Trump administration officials months ago that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was involved in a close relationship with a woman whom US intelligence agencies believed was working for China’s top spy service, according to a report by The New York Times. The report says the memo, circulated this spring ahead of President Donald Trump’s China trip in May, was based on classified intelligence gathered through electronic surveillance of Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen and senior executive at Singapore-based AI infrastructure company Megaspeed. US officials reportedly concluded that Alice Huang had been recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security and was in a close relationship with Jensen Huang, despite the two sharing no family connection.
What the memo reportedly said
According to The New York Times, Rubio personally oversaw the drafting of the memo, which was distributed to administration officials holding high-level security clearances. The existence of the memo highlights that concerns about the relationship had reached the highest levels of the US government months before the matter became public. The report notes that the warning circulated even as Jensen Huang remained one of the most influential voices shaping Trump’s approach to artificial intelligence policy. Huang has repeatedly argued against broader restrictions on AI chip exports and has advocated allowing sales of most Nvidia technology to China, with the exception of the company’s newest products. The State Department and White House declined to comment, the newspaper reported.
Jensen Huang’s apology and the Nvidia probe
In a message to employees, Huang wrote: “I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry.” The Times reported that he acknowledged being intimate with Alice Huang. Other outlets, citing Bloomberg, say his message did not name the other person, so attribute that point carefully. Nvidia said a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside counsel, will oversee the investigation. It added that it has “no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised.” Nvidia has said Huang’s contacts with her were consistent with meetings he has with the company’s many customers and that customers like Megaspeed do not receive classified business information. The company says Huang supports the investigation.
Questions over China trip participation
The report further claims that Jensen Huang was initially left off the list of business and technology executives invited to accompany Trump on his May visit to China. While it remains unclear whether the exclusion was linked to the classified memo, administration officials reportedly had concerns about Huang’s influence on White House AI policy. However, after reports surfaced about his absence from the delegation, Trump personally invited Huang to join the trip, asking him to meet Air Force One during a stop in Alaska. The New York Times reported that Trump later praised Huang publicly, describing it as an honour to have “the Great Jensen Huang” travelling with the delegation to China.
Surveillance allegedly identified Nvidia chief
The newspaper had previously reported that Trump was briefed about intelligence surveillance involving Alice Huang roughly a year earlier. The surveillance reportedly revealed a close relationship between the Chinese executive and an unnamed US citizen. After officials requested that the American’s identity be unmasked, the individual was identified as Jensen Huang.According to the report, Trump chose not to act at the time, partly because Nvidia’s leadership position in AI is considered strategically important to US competition with China and because the company’s success has been viewed as beneficial to financial markets.
Megaspeed under scrutiny
At the centre of the allegations is Megaspeed, a Singapore-based company that has purchased billions of dollars worth of Nvidia AI chips in recent years. US officials reportedly suspect the company has helped move restricted advanced chips into China, bypassing export controls.The report states that despite maintaining a limited physical presence, Megaspeed purchased about $2 billion worth of Nvidia products and built Southeast Asian data centres that provide computing services to Chinese technology giant Alibaba.Nvidia has said Huang’s interactions with Alice Huang were consistent with meetings he routinely has with customers and industry executives. The company has also maintained that customers such as Megaspeed do not receive classified Nvidia information. Alice Huang has not responded to requests for comment, according to The New York Times.
