China denies allegations of spy operation targeting Nvidia CEO

What the report says

China has rejected claims that a Chinese-linked espionage effort targeted Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, calling the allegations groundless speculation. The dispute follows a New York Times report, cited by the BBC, that said US intelligence officials believed Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, who is linked to Singapore-based data centre firm Megaspeed, was collecting information for Beijing about the US chip company.

According to the report, US agencies had monitored Alice Huang and believed she was acting on behalf of the Chinese government. The article also said she had developed a close relationship with Jensen Huang, though Nvidia said their contacts were routine business dealings. The BBC reported that Alice Huang is not related to Jensen Huang. It also said it was unclear what information, if any, she may have passed to Beijing, when the alleged activity began, or how significant it was.

China’s foreign ministry denied the allegations at a briefing on Friday and said the report was an attempt to smear China. Nvidia said it follows export rules and that its customer interactions do not involve trade secrets. Megaspeed said it was taking the claims seriously and had brought in external legal advisers to examine the matter. The episode comes against a wider backdrop of US restrictions on advanced Nvidia chip sales to China over national security concerns, including fears about military and artificial intelligence applications.