The Information: Nvidia CEO's relationship with alleged spy reportedly helped send $7.5 billion in chips to China
According to the website, Alice Huang allegedly helped send about 240,000 H100, H200 and A100 chips to China; Nvidia did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Translated from the Portuguese original by the Panorama newsroom. Read in Portuguese
Summary written by the Panorama newsroom from the sources listed below. Facts are attributed to the original publications.
The relationship between Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and a businesswoman identified as an alleged Chinese spy reportedly facilitated the shipment of at least $7.5 billion (about 41 billion reais) in the company's chips to Chinese firms. The information was published on Tuesday (10) by the website The Information, based on two sources who know the businesswoman, and carried by g1 in a story from the Reuters news agency.
According to the report, Alice Huang, her husband and her sister set up a network of companies in China and Singapore to buy Nvidia chips. Despite the surname, she is not related to Jensen Huang. At the center of that network was reportedly Shanghai Century Litong, founded in June 2023, which in October obtained Nvidia preferred cloud partner status, with priority access to the processors.
Also according to the website, when orders for chips subject to US export restrictions stalled, Alice turned to contacts at Nvidia and at distributors to secure supply. She allegedly helped send about 240,000 units of the H100, H200 and A100 models, used in artificial intelligence systems, to China.
According to The New York Times, cited by g1, US authorities investigated Alice and concluded that she was working for Chinese intelligence. Nvidia's board opened an internal investigation to determine whether Jensen Huang, 63, was the target of a foreign intelligence operation, and the FBI is also investigating the case. The company says the board has no reason to believe that confidential information or US national security were compromised. Huang admitted to employees that he had been unfaithful to his wife, without giving details, and said he will cooperate.
Nvidia did not respond to a request for comment from the Reuters news agency. The company's shares closed down more than 4% on Monday (9), after the internal investigation began. Since 2022, the US has maintained export controls to limit Chinese access to advanced chips.