A US intelligence assessment has reportedly claimed that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had a romantic relationship with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman suspected by American intelligence agencies of working as an asset for China's Ministry of State Security (MSS). The allegations, detailed in a Financial Times report citing people familiar with the matter, have raised fresh concerns over China's alleged efforts to gather sensitive information about the US semiconductor industry.
According to the report, American intelligence officials prepared a memo earlier in 2026 based on intelligence gathered through surveillance and other sources. The assessment reportedly identified Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, as an alleged Chinese intelligence asset tasked with collecting information about Nvidia and its chief executive.
The memo was reportedly circulated among a small group of senior US officials around the time of US President Donald Trump's summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Who Is Alice Huang And How Is She Linked To Jensen Huang?
Alice Huang is a Chinese businesswoman and an executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data-centre company and Nvidia customer. US intelligence agencies reportedly suspected that she had been recruited by China's Ministry of State Security to gather information about Nvidia.
The allegations follow an earlier New York Times investigation published in late October 2026, which reported that US intelligence agencies had been monitoring Alice Huang amid concerns that Megaspeed could be involved in diverting advanced Nvidia AI chips to China in violation of American export controls.
Surveillance reportedly revealed that Alice Huang had developed a close relationship with Jensen Huang. The two are not related.
The investigation also referred to photographs showing Alice Huang with the Nvidia chief at social gatherings in Taiwan, including a bar and party in Taipei in 2024 and a restaurant outing in 2025.
According to the reporting, American officials assessed that Alice Huang was passing information to Beijing. However, intelligence agencies initially believed that Jensen Huang was unaware of her alleged links to Chinese intelligence.
Trump Was Briefed On Alleged Spy Operation, No Action Reportedly Taken
The New York Times report further claimed that US President Donald Trump had been briefed on the intelligence concerns roughly a year earlier but reportedly did not take action.
The reported decision was linked, in part, to concerns over the potential impact on Nvidia's business interests and broader US-China trade relations.
Jensen Huang was reportedly not formally warned about the intelligence assessment.
The latest disclosures have also drawn attention from Republican lawmakers in the US House of Representatives, who have sought a private briefing from Huang regarding the allegations and Nvidia's safeguards against foreign adversaries.
Nvidia Rejects Allegations, Says Interactions Were Routine Business Meetings
Nvidia has pushed back against the allegations, describing Huang's interactions with Alice Huang as routine business engagements with a regional customer executive.
The company reportedly said that its chief executive meets thousands of people across the industry every year and that such interactions were “not unusual or unexpected”.
Nvidia has also disputed allegations that Megaspeed was involved in diverting advanced chips to unauthorised Chinese customers. The company said the claims had been investigated and debunked, adding that it found no evidence of wrongdoing or chip smuggling.
China Calls Allegations 'Groundless Speculation'
China has also rejected the allegations, describing claims of an intelligence operation involving Alice Huang as “groundless speculation” and an attempt to smear the country.
The allegations remain based on intelligence assessments and media reports citing unnamed officials familiar with classified information. They have not been independently established through public evidence or court proceedings.
There have also been no publicly reported charges against Jensen Huang or Alice Huang in connection with the alleged espionage operation. Importantly, Jensen Huang has not been accused of knowingly participating in any intelligence-gathering activity.
The controversy comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over artificial intelligence, semiconductor technology and restrictions on the export of advanced Nvidia chips to China.
