Trump Defends Jensen Huang Amid NVIDIA Probe

US President Donald Trump has defended NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang amid scrutiny over his reported relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed who is suspected of gathering intelligence for Beijing. 

Trump, in a recent interaction with the media at the White House, said he believed the NVIDIA chief, who claims he didn’t have any knowledge of Alice’s alleged links to Chinese intelligence. 

“He [Jensen Huang] said he had absolutely no idea that the person in question was a spy,” President Trump said. “I really believe him.” 

The US president said the FBI is looking into the matter. Meanwhile, US lawmakers are preparing to question Huang over potential national security implications.

This controversy has prompted NVIDIA's board to launch an independent investigation into whether a foreign intelligence operation targeted Huang. 

The company announced that a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, would examine the allegations and review available information. 

The board said it had no reason to believe that US national security or NVIDIA's proprietary information had been compromised. Huang has pledged to cooperate fully with the investigation.

Huang acknowledged the relationship in an email to NVIDIA employees, apologising to his wife, family, and colleagues, but did not name the woman involved. 

“I take full responsibility for what I did and the hurt I caused, and I accept the criticism that comes with it,” he said. 

Alice was also under scrutiny for her professional activities at her previous Singapore-based employer. 

Megaspeed has been under investigation since 2024, when US authorities raised concerns that billions of dollars' worth of advanced NVIDIA AI equipment imported into Malaysia could be diverted to China. The company was developing data centres across Southeast Asia for Chinese clients, including Alibaba.

However, new details have emerged about how the investigation into Megaspeed was subsequently halted. 

According to a recent New York Times (NYT) report, NVIDIA's general counsel, Tim Teter, contacted investigators at the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) in August 2025 to request a meeting about the Megaspeed investigation. However, the investigators had declined the meeting.

The exchange raised concerns among investigators because NVIDIA itself had not been ruled out as a potential subject of the probe. 

A Commerce Department official later told the NYT that senior official Jeff Kessler had neither authorised the disclosure of investigative information nor directed officials to grant NVIDIA a meeting.

The probe is now being treated as a criminal investigation. 

NVIDIA shares fell 4.27% on November 9, closing at $178.67. 

NVIDIA has maintained that it works with US authorities to identify potential chip smugglers, while Megaspeed has denied allegations of chip diversion and offered to cooperate with US investigators.