The story itself would have little originality: a rich and powerful man who is caught with a young and charming lover and indulges in a more or less sincere “mea culpa”. But there are two “details”: he is the CEO of the giant Nvidia, Jensen Huang, and she is an alleged spy for the Chinese government. So things change: the apologies are global, the stock market feels the pinch and the FBI is also investigating. We understand better what happens and who Alice Huang is.
Jensen Huang in trouble
Let’s take a step back. Jensen Huang is one of the most powerful managers in the world: he is the co-founder and CEO of Nvidia, a US semiconductor technology giant, a company that produces the microchips used to train and operate artificial intelligence systems.
Huang himself reported to the board of directors that he had cheated on his wife with another woman: Alice Huang. She is a business executive, later identified by US intelligence as an alleged Chinese spy.
The FBI investigation
Considering the caliber of the people involved, it is easy to imagine that this is not just an “escapade” to be resolved within the family. The artificial intelligence chip sector represents a point of contention between the United States and China, who are vying for leadership.
US President Donald Trump confirmed that the FBI is investigating the matter. “I know that the FBI – he said – is examining the matter, I believe that everything will be fine for him”.
According to rumors, Trump in recent months did not want to intervene in the case when intelligence raised its doubts about Huang being at the center of a Chinese espionage operation. The president was then leaving for China and did not want his state visit to get off to a rocky start straight away. Trump didn’t even want to slow down the chip giant, the flagship of the American AI industry which with its investments is pushing growth to stars and stripes, as well as the earnings linked to his family’s investments in the sector. Now Trump, however, finds himself dealing with a much bigger scandal just a few days after his departure for China for the Apec summit.
Who is Alice Huang
There is little public information on Alice Huang, suspected of having spied on Nvidia’s CEO. We know she would be a high-level executive at a data center company.
Although the two have the same surname, there is no family relationship. For the New York Times, Alice Huang has a good command of English and has contacts at the highest levels in the artificial intelligence chip sector. He worked for HSBC bank, as well as being a journalist for Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and Hunan TV.