US intelligence memo alleges Chinese recruitment of tech exec to monitor Nvidia CEO
A circulated memo, reportedly based on U.S. intelligence, claims China’s Ministry of State Security recruited a female executive to gather information on Nvidia’s chief executive, a charge Nvidia has downplayed.
A memo that surfaced earlier this year alleges that China’s Ministry of State Security recruited technology executive Alice Huang to spy on Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, according to multiple media reports. The New York Times, which previously reported that Jensen Huang was a target of Chinese intelligence, said the memo was based on U.S. intelligence sources. The Financial Times added that the memo also claimed a romantic relationship between Jensen Huang and Alice Huang, who works for Singapore-based Megaspeed.
"Jensen Huang’s interactions with Alice Huang were not unusual," a Nvidia spokesperson told the New York Times, adding that the company does not share classified information with its customers.
The memo also referenced New Matrix, a Chinese firm authorized by the U.S. Commerce Department to purchase advanced Nvidia chips. Reporters who visited the address listed for New Matrix found only a "hollow gray shell," raising concerns that the entity could be a front for a blacklisted private equity firm.
"We sell the first, best and most of our technology in America," the Nvidia spokesperson said.