Nvidia denies New York Times report of surveillance on associate linked to Chinese espionage concerns
Nvidia said a New York Times story alleging U.S. intelligence surveillance of a person close to CEO Jensen Huang was inaccurate, emphasizing that its customers do not receive trade secrets or national-security information.
Nvidia issued a statement on Thursday rejecting a New York Times report that claimed U.S. intelligence agencies had surveilled a person close to CEO Jensen Huang over suspicions of Chinese espionage. The report identified Alice Huang, who is associated with Singapore-based cloud provider Megaspeed, as the individual under scrutiny.
The company clarified that Megaspeed is a regional cloud customer and that Huang’s interactions with its officials are routine, noting that the CEO meets with thousands of customers each year. "Customers don't get access to Nvidia trade secrets or relevant national security information," the spokesperson told CNBC.
The spokesperson also addressed earlier allegations that Megaspeed had been suspected of helping firms evade U.S. export controls on Nvidia's AI chips. "The diversion allegations against this regional cloud were thoroughly investigated and debunked last year," the statement said, adding that the company has not been notified by the U.S. government of any current threat.
Nvidia highlighted that its AI chips are subject to export restrictions, citing the recent clearance of the H200 chip for shipment to China, which was later blocked by Chinese regulators. The company said the Chinese government is not seeking Nvidia products through regional cloud services such as Megaspeed.