Megaspeed exec was recruited to spy on Nvidia CEO, according to US intelligence memo

The New York Times was first to report on the memo, having previously said that Nvidia's chief executive had been a target of Chinese intelligence. The Financial Times later reported that the memo additionally alleged a romantic relationship between Jensen Huang and Alice Huang. An Nvidia spokesperson told the NYT that the CEO's interactions with Alice Huang were "not unusual" and said the company does not share classified information with its customers.

The reporting sits alongside a separate New York Times investigation into New Matrix, a Chinese company authorized by the U.S. Commerce Department to purchase advanced Nvidia chips. When reporters visited the office address listed for New Matrix, they found only "a hollow gray shell," fueling concern that the entity could serve as a front for a blacklisted private equity firm.

The chip maker has emphasized its domestic footprint. An Nvidia spokesperson told the NYT that the company sells "the first, best and most of our technology in America." That statement comes as U.S. export controls and scrutiny of advanced chip distribution remain active policy questions, with authorized buyers of top-tier Nvidia hardware under increasing examination.

What remains unresolved is how far the memo's claims have been corroborated: the underlying intelligence has not been made public, and neither the alleged recruitment nor the alleged personal relationship has been independently confirmed in the reporting described. Equally open is the status of New Matrix — whether Commerce Department authorization will be reviewed, and whether shell-company diligence for approved chip buyers will tighten. For builders and operators, the episode underscores that access to frontier compute now intersects with counterintelligence and export-control enforcement, areas likely to shape vendor screening, customer vetting, and cross-border deal-making in the months ahead.