Three U.S. House committee chairs asked Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to confirm a Nov. 18 closed-door briefing or suggest another date by Nov. 11, as China’s Foreign Ministry rejected a spy allegation involving him.
At a regular briefing Monday, spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China had addressed the issue the previous week. The ministry transcript records a question citing reports from The New York Times and the Financial Times. Guo called the “Chinese spy” allegation “purely unsubstantiated” and said it was aimed at smearing China.
A House Foreign Affairs Committee announcement said the three chairmen proposed a joint session with Huang about his contacts with Alice Huang and Nvidia’s security practices. They asked him to confirm the Nov. 18 date or suggest another by Nov. 11; the announcement did not say he had agreed. The request does not accuse Huang or Nvidia of knowingly sharing information with Beijing.
Nvidia said Nov. 8 that directors independent of management would handle an inquiry into reports of a foreign intelligence effort targeting Huang, with outside lawyers assisting. Huang supports the review and will cooperate, the board said. It had “no reason to believe” U.S. national security or Nvidia secrets had been compromised, and it announced no findings from the inquiry.
The New York Times reported Oct. 29 that Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, was a Chinese citizen and senior executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed, and that she had become close to Jensen Huang. The newspaper said U.S. officials assessed her as an asset for Chinese intelligence. It cited interviews with people briefed on surveillance and said classified intelligence informed the assessment.
EconoTimes previously covered China’s rejection and Nvidia’s board inquiry. Huang was asked to confirm or propose another date by Nov. 11, ahead of the proposed Nov. 18 session.
