US chipmaker Nvidia investigates CEO Jensen Huang over affair

United States-based chipmaker Nvidia is investigating its chief executive officer, billionaire Jensen Huang, after he confirmed he had an intimate relationship with a woman accused of working for Chinese intelligence. In an announcement on Sunday, Nvidia said the probe would be conducted by a “committee of independent directors” with outside counsel. “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,” Nvidia’s board of directors said.

It said the board continued to have “confidence in Jensen and his leadership team”. Huang will continue to lead Nvidia during the probe. The investigation follows a report in The New York Times last month that Jensen may have been the target of a Chinese espionage plot.

Amid the AI boom, Nvidia has seen demand for its chips and programming interfaces explode, resulting in the company being valued in the trillions of dollars.