Trump's close ties to Nvidia's Huang scrutinized after foreign intelligence concerns

By Courtney Rozen and Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump's close relationship with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang came under renewed scrutiny on Monday, after the company said its board was investigating whether the tech executive has been the target of a foreign intelligence effort.

Huang is one of Trump's closest allies in Silicon Valley, and the relationship between the two dates to at least 2025. Over the past two years, he has repeatedly voiced support for the administration's agenda and become a regular presence in Washington as Nvidia sought to sell advanced chips to the Chinese market.

Advanced chips are the backbone of the US AI boom and government officials have previously tried to restrict China's access to them through export controls to stifle its AI capabilities.

Nvidia's board launched its probe after a New York Times report said Huang had a close relationship with Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, who US intelligence officials believe passed information to the Chinese government. Nvidia shares closed down more than 4% on Monday.

"I’m pushing to investigate Jensen Huang and Nvidia to determine whether our national security was compromised," said Senator Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, in a post on X. "We need answers about the relationship between AI billionaires and the Trump administration, who's making these decisions, and who's really got their hand on the wheel."

Democrats on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee wrote to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, calling on the Commerce Department to halt exports of advanced AI chips to China.

US Representatives Gabe Amo, Gregory Meeks and Sydney Kamlager-Dove sought answers by December 1 on whether top officials at the Commerce Department were aware of US intelligence linking Alice Huang, a former executive of Singapore-based ⁠Megaspeed who is not related to the Nvidia CEO, to Chinese efforts to obtain Nvidia chips.

They also asked in their letter whether the top officials communicated with Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding Alice Huang and Megaspeed.

"If Commerce was not briefed, we need to know why. If it was briefed, we need to know how it responded. And if the Department knowingly permitted these exports despite credible national-security concerns, the American people deserve an explanation," the letter added.

Jensen Huang, the Nvidia CEO, has a direct line to the US president. A Reuters reporter saw Huang's full name pop up on Trump's phone in December 2025.

Huang flew with Trump to China on Air Force One in May, the first visit by a US president to China in nearly a decade. Huang attended a high-profile state dinner in September for Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House. The company committed $25 million for Trump's planned White House ballroom, according to media reports.

The New York Times reported that Trump had been briefed on Huang's relationship with the woman and on intelligence that she was giving information to the Chinese government, and that he chose not to act on the information. 

The White House press office on Monday declined to comment further on Trump's relationship with Huang.

Trump said on Monday the FBI was looking into the Nvidia CEO's affair with the Chinese businesswoman alleged to be a spy for Beijing. Trump said he had spoken to the CEO, who told him that he had no idea that the woman was a spy. Trump said he believed the CEO.

China's foreign ministry said the spy accusations were "groundless." Reuters could not determine Alice Huang's location to seek comment from her on Monday.

Huang's relationship with Trump has coincided with several favorable policy developments for the company. In April 2025, the administration backed off plans to restrict exports of certain Nvidia AI chips to China after Huang attended a dinner at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. 

In December 2025, Trump said the US would allow Nvidia to export its H200 processors, its second-best AI chips, to China and collect a 25% fee on such sales.

Trump has lavished Huang with praise, awarding him the nation's highest honor for scientific achievement in October. The same day Trump gave Huang the award, the president disclosed buying up to $1.6 million and selling up to $1 million in Nvidia stock during the summer. 

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Reuters at the time that third-party financial institutions independently manage the president's portfolio.

(Reporting by Courtney Rozen and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland in Washington; Editing by David Gaffen)