“₩10 Trillion in Chips Diverted, Yet No Spy?” ... Mystery of Jensen Huang’s Mistress: A Major Twist from U.S. Authorities

[Financial News] Jensen Huang’s alleged affair with Alice Huang, a woman of Chinese descent (Chinese name Huang Le), and the ensuing “spy allegations” were the decisive fuse that led to the former NVIDIA CEO’s departure in disgrace. An unexpected shift in sentiment is now emerging within the U.S. government: senior U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials are urging caution, saying there is not yet enough evidence to label her a Chinese spy.
According to CNN and other foreign media outlets on the 12th (local time), U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a news conference in Washington, D.C., that the FBI was, of course, investigating the allegations that Alice Huang was a spy. He added, “Neither the Justice Department, I, nor FBI Director Patel has yet reached a conclusion about whether she is a spy.”
President Donald Trump also took a similar stance. Asked in an interview on the podcast Straight Shooter whether Jensen Huang’s resignation was warranted, Trump said, “What matters is whether she was a spy,” adding, “If she isn’t a spy, perhaps things would be different,” in remarks that could cause a stir.
U.S. intelligence agencies also appear to be taking a step back. Officials from the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assessed that, based on the information gathered so far, it would be an overstatement to conclude that Alice Huang had “deliberately” passed information to China. Democratic Representative Jim Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, also drew a line after a classified briefing with a senior intelligence official, saying, “At least for now, we can’t be certain of a relationship between Alice Huang and the Chinese government.”
But the lack of conclusive evidence does not mean the “national security threat” she poses is being denied. U.S. officials have kept her under watch as a serious counterintelligence risk, given that China’s National Security Law allows the country to compel its citizens to collect intelligence, and that Alice Huang could have used her secret relationship with Jensen Huang as leverage to gain access not only to NVIDIA’s internal information but also to key U.S. policymakers.
In fact, U.S. intelligence agencies had identified the inappropriate relationship between the two and launched a preliminary investigation as early as last year. Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio reportedly wrote a memo early this year warning of the risks posed by their relationship, and personally briefed President Trump on it last May.
Earlier, U.S. tech outlet The Information reported on the 10th that Alice Huang had exploited her relationship with Jensen Huang and was deeply involved in diverting at least $7.5 billion (about 10 trillion won) worth of NVIDIA’s advanced AI chips to Chinese companies through indirect channels, fueling the spy controversy.
As the dispute over whether she was a spy shows signs of dragging on, former CEO Jensen Huang, who had acknowledged his relationship with Alice Huang, was ultimately forced out in disgrace as head of his “AI empire,” amid additional allegations of an affair with another company executive.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter