China’s Intelligence Agency Reportedly Recruited Executive To Target Nvidia Ceo
Reports say China enlisted a major Nvidia customer’s executive to gather information from Jensen Huang and potentially influence access to advanced AI chips.
China’s Ministry of State Security recruited an executive at a major Nvidia customer to gather information about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, according to The New York Times, as reported by Engadget and The Verge. The reported effort centered on American artificial intelligence chips and whether Huang could help expand China’s access to them.
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What the reports say
The executive, Alice Huang, works at Singapore data center company Megaspeed. The Verge reports that, according to The New York Times, China’s intelligence agency enlisted her to learn about American AI chips and potentially influence Nvidia to seek permission for its most advanced chips to be sold to China. Engadget describes the recruitment as part of a broader effort to learn about US AI plans.
The Verge says The New York Times had previously identified Jensen Huang as the target of a reported Chinese spy plot, but the agency’s alleged role in recruiting Alice Huang is newly reported. Alice Huang and Jensen Huang are not related.
The relationship and US response
The Verge says The New York Times described Alice Huang’s relationship with Jensen Huang as close. Engadget, citing the Financial Times, reports that US officials believed the two were romantically involved, based on American intelligence. Neither description establishes the nature of their relationship as a confirmed fact.
The outlets give different timelines for when President Trump learned of the relationship. The Verge says he was briefed last year and took no action. Engadget says Trump and selected US officials were notified before a trip to Beijing earlier this year with Jensen Huang and Elon Musk; it also reports that Trump took no action. According to Engadget, Jensen Huang was not briefed that the Chinese government was targeting him.
The Verge reports that three House committees asked Jensen Huang to attend a joint, closed-door briefing about his interactions with Alice Huang.
Why the chip business matters
Megaspeed has bought billions of dollars’ worth of Nvidia AI chips, according to Engadget. The company has been building data centers in Southeast Asia and renting computing capacity to Alibaba, giving the Chinese company access to advanced Nvidia chips that are banned in China, the outlet reports.
Engadget says the Financial Times also implicated Megaspeed in a scheme to smuggle advanced AI chips into China, while Nvidia found no evidence of wrongdoing in its internal investigation. Separately, Engadget reports that Jensen Huang previously persuaded Trump to allow sales of some chip models to China. That history helps explain why Chinese intelligence would reportedly seek information from, or influence over, Nvidia’s CEO as decisions about access to more advanced chips remain at issue.
Sources
This story was compiled by AI from the reports below. Read the originals for the full details.