San Francisco, California - Jensen Huang resigned as chief executive of AI giant Nvidia on Thursday, the company announced, following revelations that he had an affair with a woman accused of being a Chinese spy.

Nvidia Chief Financial officer Colette Kress will serve as interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent successor, ending Huang's 33-year run at the helm of the global juggernaut he co-founded in 1993.

Huang also gave up his seat on Nvidia's board. The company did not give a reason for his departure, instead touting Kress' experience and position as a stable hand.

"Colette has helped lead Nvidia through a period of extraordinary growth and has a deep understanding of our business, customers, operations and financial position," Harvey Jones, Chair of the Nvidia Board of Directors, said in a press release shared by Nvidia.

In a statement acknowledging the promotion, Kress did mention Huang, saying she's "committed to building on the extraordinary foundation Jensen created over the last 33 years."

"We will continue advancing the work that has made NVIDIA a leader in accelerated computing and AI, and execute on the opportunities ahead."

The scandal has sent shares of the multi-trillion-dollar company plunging, and the exit of Huang leaves Nvidia without its founding leader at a crucial time for the AI sector.

It began with reports that Huang, who has been married to Lori Huang for more than 40 years, was involved in an extramarital relationship.

On Sunday, he admitted to having an affair, reportedly with Alice Huang – a senior executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed.

US intelligence had reportedly circulated a memo in spring alleging Alice Huang was an asset of China's Ministry of State Security.

Beijing has denied these claims, but sales of Nvidia chips to Alice Huang's company and reports of a "foreign intelligence effort" were enough to derail Huang's leadership.