US Memo Says Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Had Romantic Ties to Alleged China Spy

A United States intelligence memo says Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang was romantically involved with a woman American officials believe was recruited by China's intelligence service, the Financial Times reported late on Friday, in the latest turn in the inquiry into alleged Chinese efforts to obtain American AI chip secrets.

The memo, prepared by US officials earlier in 2026, says Huang was romantically involved with Alice Huang (Huang Le), an executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data centre company. US intelligence believes Alice Huang was recruited by China's Ministry of State Security and was collecting information on Jensen Huang, allegedly seeking AI chip secrets and influence over Nvidia's chip supplies to China. Nvidia declined to comment on the memo and has called the allegations "baseless". The White House and the CIA also declined to comment. No charges have been brought against either person, and no finding of wrongdoing has been made.

Key Points

• A US intelligence memo says Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was romantically involved with Alice Huang, an executive at the Singapore data centre firm Megaspeed.
• US intelligence believes Alice Huang was recruited by China's Ministry of State Security and was collecting information on Jensen Huang.
• The memo was shared with senior US officials shortly before President Trump's May summit in Beijing with President Xi Jinping.
• Nvidia calls the allegations "baseless"; the White House and the CIA declined to comment.
• No charges have been brought, and no finding of wrongdoing has been made. Megaspeed remains under US investigation over alleged chip diversions to China.

What Happened

The Financial Times reported on Friday night that a memo prepared by US officials earlier this year says the relationship between Jensen Huang and Alice Huang was romantic. It was drawn from intelligence gathered by American agencies and shared with a small group of senior officials shortly before Mr Trump travelled to Beijing in May. The report followed a New York Times account on Friday that US officials had identified Alice Huang as a suspected Chinese intelligence asset, an executive at Megaspeed, a firm in Nvidia's cloud partner network suspected of helping Beijing obtain advanced chips barred from shipment to China.

On the same day, three House Republican committee chairs asked Huang to address the reported links behind closed doors, according to Axios. Their letter, dated November 4 and signed by Brian Mast, John Moolenaar and Eric Crawford, asks Huang to brief Congress on November 18. The report does not say any chip secrets were passed on, nor does it allege that Huang knowingly assisted any intelligence service.

Background and Context

The story has built in stages over the past week. The New York Times first reported that US intelligence had concluded a Chinese executive linked to a Singapore-based data centre company who interacted with Huang had funnelled information to Beijing. China dismissed that account as "groundless speculation". President Trump publicly backed Huang, saying he had "a lot of respect for Jensen" and calling him a "great, brilliant person", adding the administration would "check it out very closely".

Nvidia has pushed back firmly, saying Huang meets "thousands of customer executives every year" and that Asian cloud customers receive only ordinary business information, "not sensitive Nvidia trade secrets or anything tied to US national security". It also says it already debunked claims that Megaspeed smuggled its chips into China. The backdrop is the US-China contest over AI hardware: Washington has tightened export controls on advanced chips, while Beijing has sought workarounds through third countries.

What the Memo Says About Jensen Huang

According to the Financial Times, the memo identifies Alice Huang as a person US intelligence believes was recruited by China's Ministry of State Security, and says she was collecting information on Jensen Huang while the two were romantically involved. The report does not publish the memo itself, and it does not say when the alleged relationship began or ended. Crucially, it does not accuse Jensen Huang of wrongdoing, and it does not say he knew Alice Huang was connected to Chinese intelligence. No charges have been filed, and no US agency has made a public finding against either of them. Being targeted for collection is not the same as cooperating with a foreign service.

Reactions and Quotes

Nvidia declined to comment on the memo or the alleged relationship, having previously called the allegations "baseless". The White House and the CIA also declined to comment, but that leaves the memo's claims unconfirmed by any official on the record. Trump, speaking after the first New York Times report, defended Huang: "I have a lot of respect for Jensen," he said. "We're going to check it out very closely." On Capitol Hill, the three chairs have not accused Huang of anything; they asked him to explain the reported links behind closed doors on November 18.

Why It Matters

Nvidia sits at the centre of the global AI race: its graphics processing units power the data centres that train the most capable AI systems, and its chips have become a strategic asset that Washington guards with export controls and Beijing covets. Any suggestion that China's intelligence services targeted the company's chief executive personally raises the stakes beyond corporate compliance into counter-intelligence. It also matters for AI politics in Washington: Huang has advised Mr Trump on AI policy and joined chief executives on the May visit to Beijing, so if lawmakers conclude his judgement was compromised, even unknowingly, it could affect his standing as an adviser. Nvidia is the world's most valuable company, and its shares have been sensitive to every turn in the chip dispute. The memo is an intelligence assessment, not a court filing.

What Happens Next

The focus is the closed-door briefing on November 18, when Huang is expected to answer questions from the House Foreign Affairs, China Select and Intelligence committees about what he knew about Alice Huang and Megaspeed, what was shared, and Nvidia's controls for customers under investigation. Separately, the US investigation into Megaspeed continues over allegations it diverted advanced Nvidia chips to China in violation of export controls.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the memo say?
According to the Financial Times, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was romantically involved with Alice Huang, a Megaspeed executive US intelligence believes China recruited to collect information on him.

Has Jensen Huang been accused of a crime?
No. No charges have been brought, and no finding of wrongdoing has been made. The memo is an intelligence assessment, not a criminal allegation.

What has Nvidia said?
Nvidia declined to comment on the memo. It has called the allegations "baseless" and said it debunked claims that Megaspeed smuggled its chips into China.

What is Megaspeed?
A Singapore data centre firm in Nvidia's cloud partner network, under US investigation over alleged chip diversions to China.

What happens on November 18?
Three House Republican committee chairs have asked Huang to brief Congress behind closed doors. It is not a public hearing, and no accusation has been made.

Read more: Trump backs Huang amid reported China spy plot; Huang asked to brief Congress on Nov 18; White House tech panel postponed.