Trump reportedly dismissed intel on alleged Chinese spy linked to Nvidia CEO
According to a report, President Trump was briefed on a possible Chinese espionage operation involving a former Megaspeed executive and chose not to act, citing concerns about Nvidia's stock and U.S.-China trade relations.
President Donald Trump was briefed last year that Beijing was receiving reports from a person with direct access to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, according to sources familiar with classified U.S. intelligence. The individual, identified as Alice Huang, a Chinese citizen and former senior executive at Singapore-based cloud firm Megaspeed, is alleged to have helped China evade export controls and possibly supplied intelligence on Nvidia's AI chips.
Sources said Trump decided not to pursue the information, fearing that action against the alleged spying could disrupt Nvidia's chip sales and affect the broader U.S.-China trade truce. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking before the president's AI talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, noted that "the president is completely aligned with Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia."
Nvidia has denied that Alice Huang had access to trade secrets, and the company’s spokesperson John Rizzo said the CEO’s meetings with customers are routine. Rizzo added, "> Jensen’s interactions with Ms. Huang are not unusual or unexpected. Meetings with customers are part of a CEO’s job; Jensen talks with thousands of customer executives every year."
The Chinese Embassy in Washington dismissed the accusations as "groundless smears and slanders," according to spokesperson Liu Chang.
U.S. investigators have conducted electronic surveillance of Alice Huang and identified a U.S. citizen, later revealed to be Jensen Huang, as a contact. The unmasking process was pursued to obtain a court order for further surveillance.
Megaspeed, a Nvidia customer, has been under investigation since 2024 for possible diversion of chips to China. While Nvidia’s internal review found no evidence of wrongdoing, the Department of Justice has taken over the Commerce Department’s probe, and the company remains under scrutiny. Aaron Bartnick, an assistant director for technology security and governance, said Megaspeed raised "many red flags," including ownership claims and potential ties to sanctioned entities.