Jensen Huang could be removed as Nvidia CEO, reports say

Who is Alice Huang and what is Megaspeed?

At the centre of the story is Alice Huang, an executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based company that became one of Nvidia's main customers for building AI data centres in Southeast Asia. The New York Times reported that she, also known as Huang Le, worked for China's Ministry of State Security while in a relationship with Nvidia's boss.

The relationship reportedly began in 2023. During that time, she allegedly diverted 240,000 H100, H200 and A100 graphics cards to China. The Information reported that she set up a network of companies in China, including one that helped her become a preferred Nvidia partner, with priority access to chips and to the CEO himself.

US authorities had already opened an investigation in late 2024 over suspected smuggling of graphics cards. The Department of Justice has since opened several probes tied to her. Investigators worry she may have seen technical details of Nvidia's AI hardware and internal talks with the White House. So far they have focused on how she used her closeness to Huang to help get around US export controls.

The second relationship

The Times also reported that Huang had a romance with another Nvidia employee. Kimberly Powell, the company's vice president of healthcare, was filmed with him at a hotel in San Jose, California. Nvidia's internal policies prohibit this kind of relationship, especially between a boss and a subordinate.

What happens to Nvidia if Huang goes?

Nothing is decided yet. If the board removes him, Nvidia loses the man who turned it into one of the most valuable companies in the world. Huang has been its public face for more than three decades, first in the gaming years and now in AI data-centre chips, so finding a successor would not be simple.