President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that the FBI is investigating Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang regarding his past relationship with a woman alleged to be a Chinese government agent. Trump stated that he spoke with Huang, who maintained he was unaware of the woman's purported involvement in espionage, and expressed confidence that the executive would be cleared of wrongdoing. Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into the matter, with Huang pledging his full cooperation to protect the company and national security.
The allegations have sparked concerns in Washington regarding the potential compromise of sensitive information concerning Nvidia’s advanced artificial intelligence chips. While reports suggest US intelligence identified the woman as a former executive at a Singapore-based data center firm, China has dismissed the claims as an unsubstantiated smear campaign. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun rejected the accusations during a briefing on Monday.
Nvidia shares declined approximately 5 percent in pre-market trading following the reports. President Trump is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week in Shenzhen, though he remained noncommittal on whether he would formally raise the issue during their discussions. Huang, who has previously lobbied for eased chip export restrictions to China, issued a public apology to his family and company regarding the affair.
