Nvidia Board Opens Probe Into Huang China Chip Allegations

Nvidia’s board has retained attorney Joon Kim to lead an independent investigation into reports concerning CEO Jensen Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang and allegations of links to Chinese chip shipments. The board said it has no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised. Jensen Huang has said he will cooperate and remains CEO.

The inquiry follows reports alleging that Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based cloud computing company Megaspeed, was linked to a network that obtained access to Nvidia processors for Chinese users. A report cited by multiple accounts attributed to The Information said the network facilitated shipments or computing access involving at least $7.5 billion in Nvidia chips and about 240,000 processors. That figure may include access to computing power, and the reporting does not establish how many chips physically entered China. The allegations have not been independently established.

Jensen Huang acknowledged in a message to employees that he had been unfaithful to his wife, without naming the woman. He has said he knew nothing of any espionage activity. Alice Huang has been described in intelligence-related...