US claims Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang targeted by female Chinese spy from S'pore-based company

BEIJING, October 30 - China rejected as "groundless speculation" a report alleging that its spy plot targeted Jensen Huang, the head of US chipmaker Nvidia. The claim was made by The New York Times in an article published the previous day. According to the Times, US intelligence concluded that a Chinese executive linked to a Singapore-based data centre firm had been sending information to Beijing.

"The report in question is based on groundless speculation and is nothing more than an attempt to smear China," stated Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry during a routine briefing.

The dispute centers around Megaspeed, the data centre company under scrutiny for potentially passing Nvidia AI chips to China. The report, citing unnamed sources, claimed the Singapore-based firm was funneling Nvidia chips to Beijing. However, the executive in question, Alice Huang — also known as Huang Le and unrelated to Nvidia's founder — reportedly formed a close relationship with Huang, the Nvidia CEO.

This connection could have provided her with insights into US President Donald Trump's perspective on AI, a topic expected to be discussed during upcoming talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Despite the report, Trump reviewed the intelligence findings approximately a year ago and decided not to take any action. In response to the allegations, an Nvidia spokesperson clarified to AFP that Megaspeed operated like any other regional customer, and Jensen Huang's interactions with Huang were typical and unremarkable. The spokesperson emphasized that "MegaSpeed's information is not sensitive NVIDIA trade secrets and zero information relevant to national security."

Furthermore, the spokesperson noted that allegations Megaspeed was smuggling chips to China had been thoroughly investigated and disproven the previous year. Attempts to reach Megaspeed for comment were unsuccessful, as a person answering the company's listed phone number on the website indicated they were unfamiliar with the company and the number was a residential line.