An investigation by the US Commerce Department is reportedly scrutinizing Alice Huang, a former Chinese TV reporter who became a significant buyer of Nvidia's advanced AI chips. The probe centers on suspicions that Huang, who acquired a dormant Chinese video game firm and pivoted it to AI cloud computing, may have been acting as a spy for China's Ministry of State Security.
Huang's company, Megaspeed International, emerged as a major purchaser of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia shortly after the US imposed restrictions on advanced AI chip shipments to China in October 2022. Concerns escalated when a sister company in Malaysia began importing AI equipment worth billions, reportedly exceeding its financial assets by a thousandfold. Trade records suggest these imports may have been intended for smuggling into China.
US intelligence officials reportedly shared a memo last spring with policymakers in the Trump administration, alleging Huang was recruited to gather information on Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and influence him to make chips available to China. The memo also stated that Huang used her purported connection to Jensen Huang to attract investors and shared photos of them together on social media. Jensen Huang, who is not related to Alice Huang, has been seen with her on multiple occasions, including in June 2024 after a technology trade show and again in May 2025 after a business dinner in Taipei, despite the ongoing investigation.
Stephen Witt, an author who has written about Jensen Huang, commented that Alice Huang's background, lacking in business or computer science, should have raised red flags for Jensen Huang. He suggested Jensen Huang may have been deceived. While Jensen Huang initially described his relationship with Alice Huang as purely professional, he reportedly confessed to being unfaithful to his wife on Sunday.
Alice Huang's current whereabouts are unknown, and she has not yet responded to the allegations.