Nvidia denies report that its CEO was allegedly targeted in Chinese spy plot

Nvidia, a top chipmaker, is responding to a report that its CEO, Jensen Huang, was allegedly targeted in a Chinese spy plot.

According to a New York Times report published Thursday, U.S. intelligence officials allegedly determined that a top executive at a Singapore-based data center company who developed a “close relationship” with Huang was funneling information to Chinese officials in Beijing.

The executive was identified by the Times as Alice Huang, who was pictured together with the Nvidia CEO in 2024.

In a statement to News, a Nvidia spokesperson said Jensen Huang “talks with thousands of customer executives every year.”

“Jensen’s interactions with Ms. Huang are not unusual or unexpected,” the statement read. “Meetings with customers are part of a CEO’s job.”

The spokesperson added, “We’re confident that if the U.S. government believes that any person is a threat to American industry, it would let us know.”

The company said it will “often receive updates from the U.S. government regarding parties and entities of concern and always act accordingly.”

A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry also responded to the report.

“The reports are baseless and purely slanderous smears against China,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Friday at his daily press briefing.

Neither Alice Huang nor her employer, Megaspeed International, responded to News’ request for comment.

According to the Times, President Donald Trump was briefed on U.S. intelligence officials’ findings but did not take any action.

The White House has not yet responded to News’ request for comment.

Trump is a close ally of Jensen Huang, who has advised the president amid an artificial intelligence race with China. Jensen Huang was a guest at a White House state dinner in September, where Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping.

That same month, the CEO attended a luncheon for AI and tech industry leaders hosted by Trump at the White House.

Earlier this year, in January, Huang convinced the president to clear the way for advance chip sales to China, in a deal that gave the U.S. government 25% of the profits.

Trump also personally owns shares in Nvidia, the world’s most publicly traded company.

Note: This story has been updated to clarify a Nvidia spokesperson’s statement about the alleged incident.