China has launched a large-scale intelligence campaign to acquire foreign technologies, and former Nvidia chief Jensen Huang may have been one of its targets. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials and Western security representatives.
According to the report, the Chinese campaign involves state institutions, private companies and individuals. The aim is to acquire technologies for the development of the Chinese economy and the modernization of its armed forces, as well as to expand Beijing’s influence abroad. A European intelligence service estimates that around 600,000 people work for the Chinese state in the areas of intelligence and security.
“The West is not accustomed to such an approach and has no mechanisms to protect itself against it,”Nicholas Eftimiades, a former official with the Defense Intelligence Agency of the US Department of Defense, told the publication.
US officials suspect that Chinese services may have attempted to influence Huang through his connection with entrepreneur Alice Huang, who is linked to the Singaporean company Megaspeed. The company is being investigated over a possible circuitous route used to deliver advanced Nvidia chips to China.
Interest in Huang is explained not only by his role at one of America’s most important technology companies. He is close to President Donald Trump and may have had influence over decisions by the US administration regarding the export of computing accelerators and other technologies to China.
However, former MI6 director of operations Nigel Inkster said that the available evidence was insufficient either to confirm or to reject the theory that Alice Huang had been recruited as an agent.
Singapore’s investigation into Megaspeed began in February 2025. Police and customs authorities are examining possible violations in the preparation of documents for the purchase of servers. In February 2026, following consultations with prosecutors, police determined that there was insufficient evidence of Alice Huang’s involvement in the alleged violations.
China’s Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations of an attempt to recruit Huang and described them as slander.
On November 8, Nvidia announced an independent investigation into claims that its founder and then-chief executive had been the target of a foreign intelligence operation. The company said that, at that point, there was no reason to believe that national security or Nvidia’s secrets had been compromised.
Jensen Huang resigned as president, chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors on November 12. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress took over the company’s leadership on an interim basis while the board searches for a permanent successor.
After stepping down, Huang agreed to testify before members of the US Congress about his relationship with Alice Huang and Nvidia’s security procedures. The date and format of the hearing are still being arranged.
Sources: rbc.ru, apnews.com, cbsnews.com