Nvidia said allegations that Singapore-based cloud provider Megaspeed diverted AI chips had been investigated and debunked, amid a New York Times report on surveillance concerns involving a person close to its CEO.
CNBC reported Thursday that the Times, citing people briefed on the surveillance, described U.S. intelligence agencies monitoring Alice Huang, who is linked to Megaspeed, amid suspicions she could be a Chinese intelligence asset. The account said Alice Huang had developed a close relationship with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and that agencies worried she might help the Chinese government obtain information from him or the company. It also described concerns about Jensen Huang's access to President Donald Trump.
Nvidia told CNBC that Jensen Huang's interactions with Megaspeed officials were routine. The company said he interacts with thousands of customers each year and that customer relationships do not provide access to Nvidia's trade secrets or information relevant to national security.
An Nvidia spokesperson said the Megaspeed allegations had been “thoroughly investigated and debunked last year.” The spokesperson also said Nvidia expected U.S. officials to notify the company if they considered anyone a threat to American industry.
The dispute comes amid wider U.S.-China competition over advanced chips. CNBC reported that politicians and analysts have warned Nvidia's AI chips could support Chinese military or commercial AI systems. The U.S. government cleared Nvidia's H200 chip for shipment to China earlier this year, but Chinese regulators prevented imports. Nvidia wrote off about $4.5 billion in China-tuned AI chips last year, CNBC reported.
