Nvidia dismisses report alleging Chinese executive tied to CEO Jensen Huang passed intel to Beijing

US intelligence agencies have reportedly concluded that Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, a Chinese citizen and former senior executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed, was acting as an intelligence asset for Beijing, according to an article published in The New York Times. The allegations have raised concerns in Washington over her relationship with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and the potential implications for US national security.

According to people briefed on the surveillance, American officials believe Alice Huang was gathering information for China while maintaining a close relationship with Jensen Huang, one of the most influential figures in the artificial intelligence industry. The findings reportedly reached President Donald Trump about a year ago, but he chose not to take action. The account, based on interviews with people familiar with classified intelligence and other government and industry sources, raises questions about whether Beijing could have gained insights into Nvidia, US technology policy and the administration's approach to exporting advanced AI chips.

Intelligence findings raise national security concerns

US officials had already suspected that Megaspeed was helping Chinese companies gain access to advanced Nvidia chips despite American export restrictions. The reported conclusion that Alice Huang was also collecting intelligence for Beijing added a new dimension to the investigation. Officials reportedly monitored her communications electronically. Surveillance involving an American citizen led to an identification process known as unmasking, which revealed Jensen Huang's identity, according to people familiar with the matter.

It remains unclear what information Alice Huang allegedly passed to Chinese authorities, how she started gathering intelligence or whether Jensen Huang knew about her suspected activities. Nvidia's CEO has not received a defensive briefing, a warning sometimes provided to Americans who may be targeted by foreign intelligence services. Officials have not publicly explained why such a briefing was withheld. One possible concern is that alerting Jensen Huang could have compromised the ongoing surveillance.

When President Trump was first briefed, officials reportedly did not believe Jensen Huang knew that Alice Huang was allegedly working for Chinese intelligence. Some senior administration officials have since questioned whether he could have remained unaware of her suspected role. The surveillance is reportedly continuing, while companies associated with Megaspeed have continued purchasing Nvidia products.

Nvidia defends its relationship with Megaspeed

Nvidia has rejected suggestions that its relationship with Megaspeed indicates wrongdoing. The company said Megaspeed was a regional customer and that it had previously investigated and dismissed allegations that the Singapore-based business was smuggling chips into China. John Rizzo, a spokesman for Nvidia, said, “Jensen’s interactions with Ms. Huang are not unusual or unexpected. Meetings with customers are part of a CEO’s job; Jensen talks with thousands of customer executives every year.”

Nvidia also said it was confident that American authorities would notify the company if they believed a customer posed a threat. “Customers like Megaspeed, he added, “receive ordinary business information, not sensitive Nvidia trade secrets, and zero information relevant to national security.” In a statement, Megaspeed said its current leadership takes the matter extremely seriously and is committed to getting to the facts behind these allegations. The company added that outside counsel has been retained to conduct a thorough internal investigation and has notified the US government that we are fully committed to cooperating.

A person familiar with Megaspeed's operations said Alice Huang had become less active in the company following the American investigations. Chinese Embassy spokesman Liu Chang rejected the allegations, saying the United States was pursuing a campaign of groundless smears and slanders against China.

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Megaspeed's role in the AI chip supply chain

The US government has investigated Megaspeed since late 2024, when a Commerce Department official visited a data center operated by the company in Malaysia. The official reportedly found Nvidia equipment still packed in boxes, raising suspicions that the hardware was being shipped through the facility rather than installed for its stated purpose.

Singaporean authorities also questioned Alice Huang in 2025 before releasing her. The Commerce Department investigation was transferred to the Justice Department this year, according to administration officials. Megaspeed operates as an intermediary, purchasing Nvidia-powered computing equipment and renting data center capacity to Chinese companies, including Alibaba. It has purchased chips through the American arm of Chinese server maker Inspur. The company's parent has been blacklisted by the United States over concerns about its links to China's military, although the US business remains free of sanctions.

American investigators suspect that some chips acquired by Megaspeed may have been diverted illegally into China. However, the full extent of any alleged diversion has not been established publicly. Trade records obtained from ImportGenius suggest that Megaspeed's sister company in Malaysia purchased at least $4.8 billion worth of advanced AI equipment containing Nvidia chips and technology between June 2024 and February 2026. The volume was unusually large for a relatively obscure company.

Megaspeed and its affiliates reportedly continued purchasing Nvidia products this year, often through intermediaries. Nvidia still lists Megaspeed as a cloud partner, and the company has continued promoting its relationship with the chipmaker. The business has also pursued new data center projects across Southeast Asia, including a major development in Malaysia's Johor state, near Singapore.

Trump administration's Nvidia policy under scrutiny

The allegations emerge amid an intensifying debate over US restrictions on advanced AI chips. Since 2022, Washington has limited exports of the most advanced Nvidia processors to China to prevent Beijing from acquiring computing power that could strengthen its military and AI capabilities. Some companies have reportedly used data centers in Southeast Asia to provide Chinese customers with access to computing resources without directly exporting restricted chips into China.

The Biden administration tightened rules governing this practice, but Trump subsequently rolled back those restrictions. His administration is now weighing whether to impose tighter controls again. Jensen Huang has lobbied the Trump administration to ease restrictions on Nvidia's chip sales to China. Last year, Trump approved sales of an older generation of Nvidia chips in exchange for a share of the revenue. The president later considered allowing exports of more powerful technology before ultimately deciding against the proposal.

The relationship between Trump and Nvidia's CEO has also attracted attention. Jensen Huang and his wife visited Mar-a-Lago as the administration debated restrictions on chip sales. Nvidia subsequently donated at least $20 million to Trump's ballroom fund, according to a person familiar with the matter, and pledged to invest $500 billion in US manufacturing. Huang also attended a White House state dinner for Chinese leader Xi Jinping last month, sitting at the head table.

Questions remain over Alice Huang's connections

Alice Huang's rise in the technology sector has attracted scrutiny. She has described herself as Megaspeed's chief executive and previously served as its managing director before being removed from that role in corporate filings. She reportedly worked at several major Chinese banks and later joined Shanghai-based investment fund Hexi Capital, which invested in semiconductor- and AI-related businesses. Technology investors familiar with Megaspeed have said Alice Huang and her associates promoted her connections to Jensen Huang while raising funds and expanding their network of data center investments.

Photographs posted on LinkedIn in June 2024 showed the two executives together at a bar in Taipei following a technology trade show. They were also seen leaving a restaurant after a business dinner in May 2025. Megaspeed continues to develop its Malaysian data center, where construction work is underway on a large site in Johor. A Malaysian property developer disclosed in a recent stock filing that it had received the final payment for a 53-acre plot intended for the project.