Washington was warned about Jensen Huang and an alleged Chinese spy over a year ago. Here's the full timeline
What's alleged, confirmed and denied in the Nvidia spy case, from the first Megaspeed report to Tuesday's probe, memos and subpoena threat.
Jensen Huang has not been charged with anything. Nvidia's board says it has "no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised." China calls the spying claims a smear. Even so, the scandal around the Nvidia CEO and a businesswoman U.S. officials reportedly believe was a Chinese intelligence asset now reaches from his marriage to the Commerce Department, the FBI and three House committees.
Much of what is known comes from anonymous officials quoted by The New York Times, which has led the reporting since October 2025. Huang himself has confirmed one thing: an affair. Here is the full record so far, with what is alleged, what is confirmed and what is denied kept apart.
Our earlier story covers the stock's two-day drop, and our Jim Cramer story covers what investors are betting on Huang's future. This one is about the spy case.
Who the woman is#
The woman is Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le. She is not related to Jensen Huang. She was a top executive at Megaspeed, a Singapore data center company and Nvidia customer, between March and November 2023, the BBC reported.
Reuters reviewed more than 30 public records and found that she held senior roles at Shanghai Hexi Investment Management and earlier worked at HSBC's private bank in Hong Kong and at CITIC Securities, as republished by CBC News. A fund-industry profile also listed a past career in television journalism. The research group C4ADS told Reuters she became Megaspeed's controlling shareholder in March 2023 and may have kept influence after its shares moved to another Singapore company in late 2023.
Her whereabouts are unknown, and she has not responded to requests for comment from the Times or Reuters.
What is alleged, confirmed and denied#
| Claim | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alice Huang was recruited by China's Ministry of State Security | Alleged by unnamed U.S. officials | The New York Times via BBC |
| Jensen Huang had an affair | Confirmed by Huang | His Nov. 8 email |
| Huang knew she was a suspected spy | Denied by Huang, per Trump | Quartz |
| Secrets or national security were compromised | Board says no reason to believe so | Nvidia board |
| Megaspeed diverted Nvidia chips to China | Suspected; Nvidia and Megaspeed deny it | NYT, Oct. 2025 |
| China ran a spy operation on Huang | China denies it | BBC |
Reuters said it could not independently verify the intelligence allegation. It remains unclear what, if anything, Alice Huang gathered or passed to Beijing, the BBC reported.
The timeline#
June 2024. At a bar in Taipei, Alice Huang stood next to Jensen Huang as he toasted Asian customers. An executive in the group told the Times she said, "I bet you guys I can get Jensen here," and he showed up. Megaspeed was poised to buy $2 billion of Nvidia technology over the next year, the Times reported in October 2025.
September 2024. A Commerce Department export official visited Megaspeed's data center in Malaysia and found Nvidia equipment still in boxes, which raised suspicion that it could be shipped elsewhere, three people told the Times.
May 2025. The two were photographed leaving a Taipei restaurant together after a business dinner, according to the Times and Reuters.
August 2025. While Commerce agents were investigating Megaspeed, Nvidia's general counsel, Tim Teter, emailed them for information about the case. The agents declined to meet. The case was later moved to the Justice Department, which asked Commerce to pause its work, according to the Times, as summarized by The Next Web and NBC News. A Commerce official told the Times that a senior official had told the agents to handle the case by the book.
October 9, 2025. The Times published "A Mystery C.E.O. and Billions in Sales," revealing the Commerce probe and a Singapore police investigation. Nvidia said its staff "found no evidence of diversion." Megaspeed said it complied with all U.S. export rules.
About a year ago. President Trump was briefed that Beijing was getting reports from someone with direct access to Jensen Huang, the Times reported on Oct. 29, according to Ars Technica.
December 2025. Trump said Nvidia could ship its H200 chips to China if the U.S. got a 25% cut of sales, CNBC noted.
Spring 2026. Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw a memo on the relationship that circulated before Trump's May 13 to 15 trip to China, and he warned Trump directly aboard Air Force One, the Times reported, according to Axios. On May 14, Reuters reported that Commerce had cleared about 10 Chinese companies to buy H200 chips. Axios notes that some approvals came before the warning.
October 29, 2026. The Times reported that U.S. officials had concluded Alice Huang was a Chinese intelligence asset. Nvidia said Jensen Huang's "interactions with Ms. Huang are not unusual or unexpected," CNBC reported. China's foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun called the report "groundless speculation."
Early November. Huang told Bloomberg the relationship was "completely normal and not unusual," Business Insider reported.
November 4 and 5. The chairs of the House Foreign Affairs, China and Intelligence committees asked Huang to a closed-door briefing on Nov. 18 and set a Nov. 11 deadline to reply, according to their letter.
November 6 and 7. The Financial Times reported that U.S. officials believed the two had been romantically involved, and the Times reported on the spring memo, TechCrunch noted. Around the same time, the Times reported that Commerce had approved H200 deals for Chinese firms with empty offices or ties to blacklisted companies, The Verge noted.
November 8. Huang emailed staff: "I was unfaithful to my wife." He did not name the woman. The board opened an independent investigation.
November 9. Trump said the FBI was looking into the matter and that he believed Huang when he said he had no idea she was a spy. A shareholder class action was filed.
November 10. The board hired Joon Kim and Wachtell Lipton. A string of new reports followed, covered below.
The board's probe#
On Tuesday, the board's independent members retained Joon H. Kim, former acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and his firm, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, to run "a thorough and independent investigation," CNBC reported. Kim joined the firm last month.
The board said Huang "fully supports the review." It also said it "has confidence in Jensen and his leadership team." Analyst Dan Ives expects the probe to take four to six weeks.
The export-control questions#
The national security worry is about chips, not just secrets. U.S. rules bar Nvidia's most advanced chips from China. The Times reported in 2025 that Megaspeed bought about $1 billion of Nvidia technology in three months and roughly $1 billion more over the next nine months, mostly through the U.S. arm of Inspur, a Chinese company on the U.S. trade blacklist.
Source: The New York Times
Show the numbers
| Period | Purchases |
|---|---|
| First three months | $1B |
| Next nine months | $1B |
On Tuesday, The Information reported that Alice Huang, with her husband and sister, built a network of companies that helped move about 240,000 restricted chips worth at least $7.5 billion to Chinese firms, citing two people who know her, Reuters reported. Nvidia did not immediately comment, and the claim has not been confirmed by any government.
The Financial Times also reported Tuesday that Commerce has delayed adding Megaspeed to its trade blacklist, despite requests from other agencies.
Then Axios reported that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was sent the classified memo on the relationship. That matters because Lutnick runs the agency that approves chip exports. Axios said it is unclear how its approvals turned into actual sales, since Beijing has also limited purchases.
Congress moves#
Rep. Brian Mast, the Foreign Affairs chair, told ABC News he would "absolutely" consider a subpoena if Huang does not answer by Wednesday. Republicans lose their committee gavels in January, so any subpoena would likely expire and need to be reissued by Democrats, ABC noted. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Congress needs "a full briefing."
On the Senate floor, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called Trump's handling of the warnings "a dereliction of duty," CNBC reported. He also pointed to Nvidia's $25 million donation to Trump's White House ballroom project. He pushed three bills to tighten chip exports. Trump has said he only recently learned of the allegations.
House China Committee chair John Moolenaar, a Republican, called for chip export limits in the annual defense bill, Reuters reported.
Inside Nvidia#
Huang ran his usual executive meeting on Monday, apologized, took no questions and moved on to business, people familiar with it told CNBC. Staff described the mood as "sad." Nvidia reports earnings on Nov. 17.
The stock fell about 4.3% Monday and 5.47% Tuesday. The fight over Chinese parts in U.S. AI data centers, which we covered in our Microsoft story, shows how fast these security fears can turn into rules.
For context on the original reporting, a 2025 thread on r/SingaporeRaw shared the Times investigation when it first ran: New York Times Article on SG Company Suspected of Helping China buy Nvidia Chips.
What to watch#
- Nov. 11. The deadline for Huang to accept the House briefing or offer another date.
- Nov. 17. Nvidia's quarterly earnings.
- Nov. 18. The requested closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill.
- The probe. Wachtell's findings, and whether the FBI or Justice Department says anything in public.
Until then, the central spy claim rests on anonymous intelligence sources. The affair is confirmed, and the probe has just begun.
Cite this article
Patrick Karsh. “Washington was warned about Jensen Huang and an alleged Chinese spy over a year ago. Here's the full timeline.” 567 Business. Published 2026-11-11. https://567business.com/news/nvidia-spy-scandal-timeline-alice-huang-megaspeed
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