An Nvidia spokesperson rejected a New York Times report that US intelligence agencies surveilled a person close to CEO Jensen Huang over suspicions she was a Chinese intelligence asset. Nvidia says the diversion allegations against Singapore-based cloud Megaspeed were investigated and debunked.
An Nvidia spokesperson pushed back on Thursday against a New York Times report that US intelligence agencies surveilled a person close to Jensen Huang because they thought she could be a Chinese intelligence asset. The report centers on Alice Huang, who is linked to the Singapore-based cloud Megaspeed.
What the Times report alleges
According to the Times report, which cited people briefed on intelligence surveillance, Alice Huang, who is linked to Megaspeed, developed a close relationship with Jensen Huang. Intelligence agencies worried that she was a spy helping the Chinese government gain information from Nvidia and its CEO.
They also fretted that Huang had access to President Donald Trump. The report further alleged that Megaspeed was previously suspected of helping companies evade US export controls on Nvidia's AI chips, which cannot be shipped to China.
Nvidia's response
In a statement to CNBC, the spokesperson said Megaspeed is another of Nvidia's regional cloud customers and that Huang's interactions with its officials are not unusual, because he speaks with thousands of customers every year. Customers, the spokesperson added, do not get access to Nvidia trade secrets or relevant national security information.
On the export allegations, the spokesperson said, according to CNBC: "The diversion allegations against this regional cloud were thoroughly investigated and debunked last year". Nvidia implied the US government had not briefed it on Alice Huang.
The China chip backdrop
Nvidia's AI chips have become a bargaining chip in economic competition with China, and Huang has pushed for certain chips to get a green light for shipment there. Earlier this year the US government cleared Nvidia's H200 chip for China, but Chinese regulators prevented their imports.
The spokesperson said the PRC government blocked US AI chips to protect its own industry. Last year, Nvidia wrote off about $4.5 billion in Chinese-tuned AI chips.
Source: CNBC
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