An Affair, An Alleged Spy And $7.5 Billion In Nvidia Chips: Inside The China Connection

Last Updated:November 11, 2026, 12:20 IST

The woman at the centre of the scandal, Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, was reportedly identified by US intelligence as an asset for China’s Ministry of State Security

A screengrab from CTI video footage obtained on November 9 shows a woman identified by Reuters as Alice Huang attending a dinner with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

An investigative report by The Information has revealed that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s extramarital affair with a suspected Chinese spy facilitated the illicit shipment of at least $7.5 billion worth of restricted AI chips to China.

The woman at the centre of the scandal, Alice Huang, also known as Huang Lewas reportedly identified by US intelligence as an asset for China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS). Working alongside her husband and sister, she successfully leveraged her personal proximity to the tech billionaire to exploit trade loops and bypass stringent US export controls.

NVIDIA CEO JENSEN HUANG’S AFFAIR, APOLOGY

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang issued a public apology for an extramarital affair with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based firm Megaspeed. The disclosure has triggered intense scrutiny from U.S. government agencies, legal challenges from investors, and a formal investigation by Nvidia’s board of directors due to allegations that the relationship was leveraged to bypass U.S. export controls on artificial intelligence hardware.

In an internal message sent to Nvidia staff on November 8, Jensen Huang addressed his family, employees, and shareholders directly to acknowledge his infidelity. He expressed profound regret for hurting his wife, Lori Huang—whom he met while studying engineering at Oregon State University—and their two adult children, both of whom are employed at Nvidia. He asked for forgiveness and stated his intention to work to rebuild trust, while the company clarified that he remains active in his role as Chief Executive Officer.

While the initial statement focused on a personal matter, the affair has drawn severe scrutiny from national security and corporate compliance bodies.

THE LABYRINTH OF SHELL COMPANIES

According to investigators and the report, Alice Huang constructed a highly complexinterconnected network of corporate entities across Singapore and China to siphon components out of Southeast Asian data centers:

Shanghai Century Litong: Founded in June 2023, this mainland China-based firm managed to secure “preferred cloud partner” status with Nvidia by October of that year. This direct pipeline granted the company priority access to highly coveted hardware.

Megaspeed: A Singapore-registered firm where Alice Huang held an executive title. Megaspeed circumvented restrictions by renting cloud computing space to Chinese customers or physically smuggling tech into China.

Speedmatrix: A Malaysian subsidiary established in 2024 that acted as a intermediary supplier, rerouting advanced GPUs back into Century Litong’s infrastructure.

Through this pipeline, approximately 240,000 advanced graphics processors (including H100, H200, and A100 chips) made their way to major Chinese tech giants like Alibaba, Tencent, and smaller sovereign AI research labs.

EXPLOITING THE RELATIONSHIP FOR CREDIBILITY

Sources note that Alice Huang frequently flaunted her access to Jensen Huang, uploading photos with him to her WeChat account to establish her authority within supply chains. She boasted that the CEO celebrated her birthdays with personal gifts and dinner.

Whenever Nvidia’s local distribution arms encountered logistical friction or regulatory delays, she would reportedly intercede personally to push the hardware through the supply chain, alleged the report.

FALLOUT AND PROBES

The revelations have thrown the world’s leading semiconductor company into immediate corporate and political crisis:

• Jensen Huang has formally admitted to being unfaithful to his wife, Lori Huang. The Nvidia Board of Directors has hired the elite law firm Wachtell Lipton to run an independent investigation into whether corporate trade secrets or national security were actively compromised.
• Nvidia stock cratered following the news, shedding massive market value and causing Jensen Huang’s personal net worth to drop by billions in a matter of days.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had reportedly overseen a highly classified memo warning the administration of the compromise months prior. Congressional committees have now requested closed-door briefings with Jensen Huang, while the FBI continues its active counterintelligence probe.
• Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has completely dismissed the allegations, calling the reporting “groundless speculation” designed to smear China.

Quick Answers

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How did Alice Huang facilitate the illegal transfer of Nvidia chips to China?

Alice Huang utilized a complex network of shell companies and entities across Singapore and China—such as Shanghai Century Litong, Megaspeed, and Speedmatrix—to siphon components out of Southeast Asian data centers and bypass U.S. export controls.

What actions has Nvidia’s board taken in response to Jensen Huang’s affair?

Nvidia’s board of directors hired the law firm Wachtell Lipton to conduct an independent investigation into whether corporate trade secrets or national security were compromised.

How did Alice Huang leverage her relationship with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang?

Alice Huang used her personal proximity to Jensen Huang, including sharing photos of him on her WeChat account, to establish authority within supply chains and personally intercede to push hardware through whenever logistical friction or regulatory delays occurred.

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Manjiri Joshi

At the news desk for 20 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci…Read More

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