Jensen Huang said Nvidia could 'be of great service' to China before spy allegations surfaced

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's views on China's artificial intelligence market and US restrictions on advanced chip exports are facing renewed scrutiny after he acknowledged an extramarital affair with a woman whom US intelligence agencies reportedly believe to be working for China.

The US has spent years restricting the sale of Nvidia's most advanced AI chips to China, citing national security concerns. Against this backdrop, comments Huang made to Fortune in an interview before the allegations emerged have attracted fresh attention.

Huang told Fortune that Nvidia had a "large and growing" opportunity in China and said the chipmaker "could be of great service" to the country's market.

Quick answers to key questions

•5 QUESTIONS

1

What did Jensen Huang say about Nvidia's opportunity in China?⌵

Huang said China represented a “large and growing” opportunity and that Nvidia could be of great service to the local market. He also said the company could compete for AI business while providing computing resources.

2

Why have US export controls restricted Nvidia's AI chip sales to China?⌵

The US introduced restrictions in 2022 to slow China's AI progress and limit potential military uses of advanced computing technology. Later rule changes also restricted access to some less powerful Nvidia chips designed for China.

3

Why did Huang's comments about Nvidia's China business draw renewed scrutiny?⌵

The comments were made before reports that US officials believed Alice Huang, with whom Jensen Huang acknowledged having an affair, was linked to Chinese intelligence. The reports renewed attention on Nvidia's China business and possible national-security risks.

4

How did US policy change Nvidia's access to China's market?⌵

In December 2025, President Donald Trump reversed some earlier restrictions, allowing Nvidia to ship H200 chips to approved Chinese customers. The arrangement included a 25% cut for the US government.

5

What is Nvidia's board investigating in relation to the allegations?⌵

A committee of independent directors, assisted by external legal counsel, is examining whether company secrets or national-security interests were compromised. The board said it had no reason to believe either had been compromised so far.

The interview took place in mid-October, before The New York Times first reported later that month that US officials had concluded that Alice Huang, who is not related to the Nvidia CEO, was a Chinese intelligence asset. The duration of their relationship remains unclear. However, photographs shared online show the two together in Taipei as early as June 2024.

Asked by Fortune in October whether he expected Nvidia's sales in China to recover, Huang said there would be a "natural tension" between Washington and Beijing that "lasts a long time".

He also said Nvidia would continue to provide shareholders with no guidance on its China sales. The company has excluded China from its revenue forecasts since August 2025, citing regulatory uncertainty in both countries.

Despite the restrictions, Huang expressed confidence in the market's potential.

"I think the opportunity in China is large and growing, just like the AI market across the world is large and growing," Huang said. “We could be of great service to the local market. We can compete and win as much of the AI market as possible for the United States, while also providing compute resources, which is really important to their economy.”

Nvidia's access to China has been constrained by successive US export-control measures.

In 2022, the Biden administration introduced restrictions that barred Nvidia from selling its most advanced AI chips to China. The measures were aimed at slowing Beijing's progress in artificial intelligence and limiting the potential military applications of advanced computing technology.

Nvidia subsequently developed less powerful versions of its graphics processing units (GPUs) for the Chinese market. These specialised chips were designed to comply with US restrictions and were less capable of training frontier AI models. However, subsequent changes to export rules restricted access to several of these products as well.

Beijing has also sought to discourage major Chinese technology companies from purchasing Nvidia chips, as part of efforts to encourage demand for domestic alternatives.

Huang has repeatedly pushed for greater access to the Chinese market. In October 2025, after US export controls and China's response had effectively shut Nvidia out, he said the company's market share in China had fallen from 95% to 0%.

In December 2025, US President Donald Trump reversed some of the restrictions imposed during the Biden administration, allowing Nvidia to ship its H200 chips to approved Chinese customers.

The chips were designed to comply with US export controls, and the arrangement included a 25% cut for the US government.

The decision followed months of lobbying by Huang, who met Trump to discuss export restrictions days before the announcement.

Nvidia's complicated relationship with China has returned to the spotlight following Huang's admission of an extramarital affair.

In a Sunday memo to employees reviewed by Fortune, Huang acknowledged that he had been "unfaithful" to his wife after the Financial Times reported on a US government memo describing a romantic relationship between him and Alice Huang.

"There is no excuse for what I did," he wrote in the memo. "I am deeply sorry."

On the same day, Nvidia's board announced that a committee of independent directors, assisted by external legal counsel, would examine whether company secrets or national security interests had been compromised.

The board said it had "no reason to believe" that either had been compromised so far. Huang remains CEO and has said he will cooperate fully with the review.

US officials reportedly believe Alice Huang was working for China's Ministry of State Security. She was an executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based data centre operator that has become one of Nvidia's largest customers over the past two years.

According to The New York Times, Megaspeed's Malaysian affiliate purchased at least $4.8 billion worth of equipment containing Nvidia chips between June 2024 and February 2026.

US officials have scrutinised the company since 2024 over suspicions that it helped Chinese firms evade export controls.

There are also suspicions that leading Chinese AI companies have access to large computing clusters containing Nvidia's advanced GPUs despite US restrictions. These chips are believed to have been obtained either through large-scale smuggling operations or through data centres in other Asian countries accessed using front companies.

Nvidia has previously told news outlets that Huang's dealings with Alice Huang were routine.

A company spokesperson told Fortune: "Today's news will not slow NVIDIA. Jensen is committed to continuing to lead NVIDIA as CEO without interruption."

Megaspeed did not respond to Fortune's request for comment, while Alice Huang could not be reached. China's foreign ministry described the allegations as "pure groundless speculation and slander".

The controversy could also bring renewed scrutiny from US lawmakers.

The Republican chairs of three House committees have asked Huang to attend a private briefing the day after Nvidia reports its quarterly earnings next week.

Lawmakers are likely to question whether his efforts to expand Nvidia's business in China have put US interests at risk.

During his Fortune interview, Huang defended the need for American companies to compete across the AI industry while acknowledging the importance of the US market.

"The United States recognizes that because the technology is invented in the United States, and we're an American company, we should provide, and we do provide, the best, the soonest and the most to American companies. However, we should compete," Huang told Fortune. "AI is a five-layer cake, and America should go compete at every single layer, not just the model layer."

Anjali Thakur is a Senior Assistant Editor with Mint, reporting on trending news, entertainment and health, with a focus on stories driving digital conversations. Her work involves spotting early signals across news cycles and social media, sharpening stories for SEO and Google Discover, and mentoring young editors in digital-first newsroom practices. She is known for turning fast-moving developments—whether news-driven or culture-led—into clear, tightly edited journalism without compromising editorial rigour.<br><br> Before joining Mint, she was Deputy News Editor at NDTV.com, where she led the Trending section and covered viral news, breaking developments and human-interest stories. She has also worked as Chief Sub-Editor at India.com (Zee Media) and as Senior Correspondent with Exchange4media and Hindustan Times’ HT City, reporting on media, advertising, entertainment, health, lifestyle and popular culture.<br><br> Anjali holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miranda House, and is currently pursuing an MBA, strengthening her understanding of business strategy and digital media economics. Her writing balances newsroom discipline with a clear instinct for what resonates with readers.

Catch all the Business News , Corporate news , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

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