New York, New York - Nvidia's board on Sunday announced it had opened a probe into Jensen Huang, its chief executive and co-founder, after he admitted to having an affair with a suspected Chinese spy.
Late last month, The New York Times reported that US intelligence officials believe Alice Huang, a Chinese executive linked to a Singapore-based data center company called Megaspeed, had been funneling information to Beijing.
The executive, who is not related to Jensen Huang, developed a close relationship with the Nvidia boss, the Times said.
In a message to company employees released on Sunday, the Nvidia chief acknowledged having an affair with Huang and apologized to his family and company staff.
"I was unfaithful to my wife," he said. "My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."
Jensen Huang is a huge figure in the artificial intelligence space and a close informal adviser to President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly spoken out against regulating the industry so as to not let China gain the upper hand in the AI race.
The Times said Alice Huang's relationship with the Nvidia chief could have given her insights into Trump's thinking around AI.
China rejected the spying allegations, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun telling a press briefing on Monday: "The narrative of a so-called Chinese spy is entirely baseless vilification and smearing."
In a statement, Nvidia said it had opened an independent probe "in light of recent reporting that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort."
The statement added: "While the Board has no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised, the Board's inquiry will examine all available information."