Key facts
- Nvidia's board said it placed CEO Jensen Huang under an independent investigation after reports he was a target of foreign intelligence efforts.
- The board said it had no reason to believe US national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised.
- Nvidia shares were down 5% in US pre-market trading, according to the report.
- Republican lawmakers asked Huang to brief the House foreign affairs and intelligence committees behind closed doors, the report said.
Nvidia's board has placed chief executive Jensen Huang under an independent investigation after reports that he was the target of a foreign intelligence effort, the board said in a statement. The inquiry centers on a close relationship with a Chinese businesswoman accused of passing information to Beijing, according to The Guardian.
The board said it had no reason to believe that either US national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, and that its inquiry would examine all available information. The report did not date the statement.
Nvidia shares were down 5% in pre-market trading following the reports, according to the report. Republican lawmakers expressed alarm and asked Huang to give the House foreign affairs and intelligence committees a closed-door briefing on Nvidia's security protocols against foreign adversary espionage, the report said.
The report did not say when the briefing was requested or whether Huang had agreed to appear. It also did not identify the businesswoman or describe the evidence behind the intelligence reports.