Key facts
- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the spy allegation is unsubstantiated and called it smears against China.
- Nvidia said a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, will oversee the investigation.
- Nvidia said its board has no reason to believe US national security or company secrets were affected.
- The New York Times reported Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen and former Megaspeed executive, allegedly fed information to Beijing.
- Megaspeed, a Singapore-based cloud computing firm and Nvidia customer, is under US investigation over suspected diversion of restricted AI chips.
- Senior Republicans in the US House have sought briefings from Huang following the Times report, citing national security concerns.
China's Foreign Ministry on Monday, November 9, 2026, rejected allegations that its intelligence services targeted Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, calling the claims baseless and defamatory. Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing that "the so-called Chinese spy allegation is unsubstantiated. It's just smears against China."
The denial followed Nvidia's announcement that its board had opened an independent investigation into whether Huang was the target of a foreign intelligence effort. A committee of independent directors, assisted by outside independent counsel, will oversee the review, and Nvidia said Huang fully supports it and has committed to cooperating. The company said its board has no reason to believe US national security or company secrets were affected.
The review follows a New York Times report in late October 2026 that US intelligence agencies had concluded Huang was the target of a Chinese intelligence effort. The Times linked Huang to Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen and former executive of Megaspeed, a Singapore-based cloud computing firm and Nvidia customer. The Times reported she allegedly fed information directly to Beijing. Reuters said it could not independently verify the claims in the report.
Megaspeed is under US investigation over suspicions it helped Beijing gain access to Nvidia's advanced AI chips that are barred from shipment to China. According to its website, Megaspeed is an Nvidia Cloud Partner in the Asia-Pacific region, offering Nvidia's GB200 NVL72 and HGX H100 chips. Megaspeed did not respond immediately to a request for comment on November 9, a public holiday in Singapore.
Senior Republicans in the US House of Representatives have sought briefings from Huang following the Times report, citing national security concerns.
Huang, 63, co-founded Nvidia in 1993 with Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem and has led the company since. Born in Taiwan and raised in the US, he told employees on November 8 that he had been unfaithful to his wife and took full responsibility for his actions. President Donald Trump said the same day that Huang is an honorable man who has done an amazing job for the US and should stay as CEO.
Nvidia's valuation rose from $420 billion in late 2022 to $4.5 trillion as of November 6, according to the report. Washington has imposed restrictions on exports of advanced AI chips to China since 2022.