The NVIDIA Board has ordered an independent investigation into founder and CEO Jensen Huang following reports that he became the subject of a foreign intelligence operation involving alleged connections with a former executive of Singapore-based data centre company Megaspeed.
The development comes amid growing scrutiny in the US over the possible diversion of restricted NVIDIA AI chips to China and concerns about potential national security implications.
The company announced that a committee of independent directors would lead the investigation, supported by outside independent legal counsel.
The review will examine all available information surrounding the allegations, even as NVIDIA maintains that there is currently no reason to believe its confidential information or US national security interests have been compromised.
“The Board prioritizes U.S. national and economic security, which is paramount to the interests of NVIDIA and its shareholders,” NVIDIA said in its statement.
The NVIDIA Board also expressed confidence in Huang and the company’s leadership team. The CEO, according to the company, fully supports the investigation and has agreed to cooperate with the review.
The announcement marks a significant development in a controversy that has brought together questions around US export restrictions, access to advanced AI computing infrastructure in China and the reported personal and professional connections between Huang and Alice Huang, a former Megaspeed executive.
How Megaspeed Entered the NVIDIA Controversy
At the centre of the controversy is Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data centre and cloud computing company that purchases NVIDIA’s AI chips and operates computing infrastructure across Southeast Asia.
According to The New York Times, Megaspeed rents computing capacity to Alibaba and other Chinese companies. US officials reportedly suspect that this business model could provide Chinese developers access to advanced NVIDIA processors that are otherwise restricted from being exported directly to China.
The concerns have also brought Alice Huang into the spotlight. According to NPR, citing New York Times reporter Ana Swanson, a company previously run by Alice Huang purchased nearly $5 billion worth of NVIDIA chip technology.
She was also photographed alongside Jensen Huang at industry events in Taiwan.
US officials reportedly suspect that Megaspeed may have helped move restricted NVIDIA chips into China. The New York Times has further reported that the US Department of Justice has taken over a federal investigation into the company.
However, NVIDIA has disputed the allegations concerning its customer. The company maintains that claims of chip diversion involving Megaspeed “were thoroughly investigated and debunked last year.”
It has also defended Huang’s interactions with Alice Huang, describing them as “not unusual or unexpected” given her position as an executive associated with a customer.
NVIDIA has separately maintained that its customers do not receive trade secrets or national security information.
Addressing the controversy in an interview with Bloomberg on 29 October, Huang described the company’s dealings with Megaspeed as “normal and not unusual.”
“We’ve studied all their deployments of our GPUs and counted every one,” he said.
Megaspeed, meanwhile, told The New York Times in October that its current leadership was taking the allegations seriously and had appointed external legal advisers to conduct an internal investigation.
Alice Huang has not publicly responded to media requests for comment. Recent reports have described her as a former executive of Megaspeed.
US Intelligence Concerns Put Jensen Huang Under Scrutiny
The controversy has also attracted attention because of the reported involvement of US intelligence agencies and senior government officials.
The New York Times reported that US intelligence officials had briefed President Donald Trump roughly a year ago about their findings concerning Alice Huang and Jensen Huang.
A classified memorandum containing the assessment reportedly circulated among senior officials in the Trump administration during spring 2026. According to the NYT, the process was overseen by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The NVIDIA Board has not disclosed the specific scope of its investigation or identified the outside counsel who will assist the independent directors.
US Lawmakers Seek Closed-Door Briefing From NVIDIA CEO
The controversy has moved beyond the corporate level, with Republican leaders of three US House committees seeking answers directly from Jensen Huang.
On 5 November, Brian Mast, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; John Moolenaar, Chairman of the House Select Committee on China; and Rick Crawford, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, requested a joint closed-door briefing with the NVIDIA CEO.
The lawmakers proposed 18 November for the briefing and asked Huang to confirm his participation by 11 November.
NVIDIA has declined to say whether Huang will appear before the committees.
US Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat, also responded to the reports, posting: “Congress will investigate and get answers.”
Meanwhile, China rejected the allegations reported by American media organisations. On 30 October, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun dismissed the reporting as “groundless speculation” and a smear. China’s embassy in Washington also described the claims as “unsubstantiated.”
The political response continued on 8 November, when Trump defended Huang while speaking to reporters. Rubio, meanwhile, declined to comment on the allegations, describing the matter as an “internal corporate matter.”
Jensen Huang Continues as NVIDIA CEO Despite Investigation
NVIDIA confirmed that Huang would continue as CEO. However, several questions remain unanswered, including whether Alice Huang allegedly passed any information to Beijing, the nature and value of any such information, and when the alleged intelligence activity began.
It is also unclear whether the investigation will establish any compromise involving NVIDIA’s proprietary information or US national security.
Other unresolved issues include the duration and scope of the independent review, Alice Huang’s response to the allegations and whether Jensen Huang will attend the congressional briefing scheduled for 18 November.
