Nvidia’s board has opened an independent investigation into reports that founder and chief executive Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort — an announcement that landed the same day Huang told employees he had been unfaithful to his wife.

The board announced the probe on Sunday, Nov. 8. A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, will oversee the investigation, according to CNN. The board said it “has no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised” and expressed confidence in Huang, the Wall Street Journal reported.

In an email to Nvidia employees the same day, Huang admitted the affair, writing “I was unfaithful to my wife” and “there is no excuse for what I did,” and taking full responsibility for his actions. He did not name the other person.

What prompted the investigation

The investigation follows reporting about Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, a former top executive at Singapore-based data-center company Megaspeed. The New York Times reported on Oct. 29 that U.S. intelligence officials had concluded she was sharing information with the Chinese government. She is not related to Jensen Huang.

The Financial Times reported that a U.S. memo said she had been recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security and described the relationship as romantic. Nvidia has said Huang’s interactions with her were routine customer contact. Beijing has denied the spying claims, calling them “groundless speculation.”

No charges have been filed against anyone in connection with the reports. U.S. agencies including the Commerce and Justice departments have investigated Megaspeed for more than a year over suspicions it helped divert advanced AI chips to China despite U.S. export controls.

What happens next

Three Republican House committee chairs have asked Huang for a voluntary closed-door briefing on Nov. 18 and requested a reply by Nov. 11. Nvidia is scheduled to report quarterly earnings on Nov. 17.

Nvidia stock fell about 5% in premarket trading Monday as investors weighed the twin disclosures from the world’s most valuable chipmaker.

Photo: Jensen Huang poses for selfies with students at Stanford University on April 30, 2026. Credit: Anderseidesvik / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).