Nvidia board opens 'foreign intelligence' probe after CEO Jensen Huang admits affair

Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into reports that its chief executive Jensen Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort, after Huang admitted to an affair in a memo sent to employees.

"The Nvidia board is initiating an independent investigation in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort," the board said in a statement on Sunday. "A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, will oversee the investigation."

The board added: "While the board has no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, the board's inquiry will examine all available information."

The move follows a New York Times report in October which alleged that Huang, 63, had a close relationship with a Chinese businesswoman who passed information to Beijing.

According to the company, Huang, who at first denied the reports of an affair, fully supports the review and has committed to cooperating with it. Top Republican lawmakers in the US House of Representatives have also called on him to brief Congress this month about the claims.

In a memo to Nvidia employees, which the company shared with Sky's US partner NBC News, Huang said: "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did."

He went on: "To my wife and family: I love you. I know an apology cannot undo what I have done. I hope our family will heal and that, over time, I can earn back your trust."

Huang also told staff they "deserve better from me" and said he was "fully committed to Nvidia and will work to earn back your confidence". An Nvidia spokesperson said he was "committed to continuing to lead Nvidia as CEO without interruption".

Nvidia, originally a maker of graphics hardware for gamers, now supplies the chips that power AI systems such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, as well as the UK's most powerful supercomputer. As of Friday it was the world's second-largest publicly traded company, worth nearly $4.5 trillion (around £3.37 trillion), up 500% from five years earlier.

The allegations come against a backdrop of intense rivalry over artificial intelligence. China has long sought to become a global leader in AI, and President Xi Jinping has set a 2030 deadline to surpass the capabilities of American AI systems.