China allegedly recruited Megaspeed executive to gather Nvidia intelligence

China’s Ministry of State Security reportedly recruited Megaspeed executive Alice Huang to gather information about Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and the American AI chip industry, according to reporting by The New York Times. The alleged effort matters because it may have sought both access to industry information and influence over whether Nvidia’s most advanced chips could be sold to China.

Alice Huang is not related to Jensen Huang, but the Times describes their relationship as close. Megaspeed is an Nvidia customer, and Alice Huang reportedly has ties to senior figures at other chip companies, including Gigabyte. The Times had previously reported that Jensen Huang was the target of a suspected Chinese spy plot; the alleged recruitment is new information. Three US House committees have asked him to give a joint, closed-door briefing about his interactions with Alice Huang.