Trump says Nvidia boss told him he had no idea woman he had affair with was Chinese spy

What the report says

US President Donald Trump said the FBI is now investigating an affair involving Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and a woman alleged in reports to have been a Chinese spy. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump said he had spoken with Huang and asked whether he knew the woman was a spy; Trump said Huang told him he had no idea, and that he believed him.

The BBC reported that the woman has been identified in coverage as Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, and that US intelligence officials believe she worked for Beijing. China’s foreign ministry has rejected those claims as unfounded and aimed at smearing the country. Nvidia has said it has launched an independent investigation and has no reason to think company secrets or national security were compromised.

The matter is significant because Nvidia is central to the global artificial intelligence race and has become a major focus of US-China technology tensions. According to the BBC, Huang has apologized for being unfaithful to his wife and said he is committed to protecting Nvidia and US national security. He is also expected to face questions from Congressional committees in a closed-door briefing, although it is unclear whether he will attend.