Technology

US intelligence reportedly sees Nvidia chief as target of alleged Chinese spy

According to a New York Times report, US intelligence agencies believe Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was targeted by a Chinese businesswoman who had worked with him and is accused of acting for Beijing. She is Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, who is unrelated to him and is an executive at Singapore-based data center firm Megaspeed; she had earlier been suspected of smuggling Nvidia chips to China. Citing unnamed sources, the paper said officials concluded she was passing commercial information to Beijing, and that President Trump was briefed but took no action.

The GuardianThursday, October 29, 2026, 18:23Covered by 2 sources

Illustrative photo: Close-up of a green circuit board with a small chip and tiny electronic components. Photo by Harrison Broadbent on Unsplash

Why it matters

The report highlights how sensitive the advanced chip trade has become amid US-China technology rivalry, a contest whose effects reach regional states building AI infrastructure. It rests on unnamed sources, so it warrants caution until official positions emerge.

Background

Nvidia is a US company that designs advanced chips used in computing and artificial intelligence. US restrictions apply to exports of such chips to China, so Washington closely watches any suspected smuggling. What the report describes remains allegations attributed to unnamed sources.

Key points

The published material describes the relationship between Jensen Huang and the woman in question as close.
According to The Guardian, the earlier suspicion that she smuggled Nvidia chips to China led American officials to surveil and monitor her.
The Guardian, citing the New York Times, reported that officials determined she was acting as a Chinese intelligence asset.

How outlets covered it

In the excerpt available, the New York Times frames the story as Nvidia's chief being seen as the target of a Chinese spy plot. It highlights that President Trump was briefed and took no action. The Guardian relays the same report, attributing it explicitly to the Times and its unnamed sources, and focuses on the woman's role at Megaspeed, the earlier suspicion of chip smuggling and the officials' surveillance of her. The Guardian text provided does not mention Trump. The two accounts do not conflict on the core facts, but the Times excerpt is brief, which limits a fuller comparison.