Alice Huang, the Chinese businesswoman at the center of a US intelligence probe and a controversy involving Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, is reportedly residing in Beijing. Sources cited by Bloomberg indicate that the founder of Singapore-based Megaspeed International has returned to China and is living in the capital with the knowledge of security officials.
The timing and reasons for her travel to Beijing, as well as her current activities there, remain unclear. Her location has been a subject of intense speculation since Jensen Huang acknowledged an extra-marital affair and Nvidia's board launched an independent investigation into claims that Alice Huang was a Chinese spy.
Who is Alice Huang?
Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, is not related to Jensen Huang. She founded Megaspeed in 2023 after a career in private equity and television. Megaspeed quickly became one of Nvidia's largest customers in Southeast Asia, a region now under scrutiny for the alleged diversion of advanced US AI chips to China.
The company was spun off from Chinese video game firm 7Road Holdings shortly after the US imposed sweeping restrictions on advanced AI chip exports to China. In November 2023, Megaspeed was sold to a Singapore-based shell company and subsequently achieved official Nvidia Cloud Partner status, granting it preferred access to Nvidia's products.
Allegations and Investigations
Trade records show that Megaspeed has since imported Nvidia products valued at over $4.6 billion. The company rents out these chips through various Southeast Asian facilities to clients, including China's Alibaba Group, which has denied US allegations of ties to the Chinese military.
US intelligence officials reportedly assessed that Alice Huang was recruited by China's Ministry of State Security. Surveillance allegedly intercepted communications between her and an American citizen, later identified as Jensen Huang. However, it is not yet clear what information, if any, she may have collected or shared with Beijing.
Jensen Huang has publicly admitted to being unfaithful to his wife and has pledged full cooperation with Nvidia's independent investigation. Nvidia has stated it has no reason to believe that national security or its proprietary information has been compromised. While former US President Donald Trump indicated an FBI investigation into the matter, China has dismissed the spying allegations against Alice Huang as groundless attempts to malign the country.