Recommended
The U.S. microprocessor giant Nvidia announced the opening of an independent investigation into an alleged Chinese espionage operation targeting the company's co-founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, which Beijing denies.
Nvidia is the world leader in the production of the chips used to train and run artificial intelligence (AI) models and is one of the most valuable companies in the world.
China is competing for AI dominance with the United States, which restricts the export of the most advanced silicon chips to that country.
Recommended
¿Quién es ‘R2’? El presunto líder criminal detenido tras balacera en Zapopan
Choque de trenes en Egipto deja 7 muertos y 100 heridos: investigan las causas del accidente
Trump admite que su política de deportaciones fue “demasiado dura” tras derrota republicana
Trump ve “altamente improbable” reanudar la guerra con Irán, pero condiciona la paz a un acuerdo
Late last month, The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence officials concluded that a Chinese business executive—with whom Huang admitted to having an affair—was working for Beijing and had been leaking information.
The woman—identified as Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, and no relation to Jensen Huang—is an executive linked to the Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed.
The New York Times claims that Huang, who has become a sort of informal advisor to President Donald Trump, may have revealed information about what the president thinks regarding artificial intelligence.
China denied the accusations on Monday.
"We have already responded to this matter previously. The story of an alleged Chinese spy is nothing more than baseless defamation and slander," declared Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun at a press conference.
In a message to Nvidia employees on Sunday, Huang acknowledged an affair and apologized to both his family and the company's staff.
"I was not faithful to my wife," he said. "My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I deeply regret it," he declared.
He also reaffirmed his "total commitment" to the company. "I support the investigation and will cooperate fully," he promised.
Nvidia stated in a press release that it had opened an independent investigation following "recent reports that founder and CEO Jensen Huang has been in the crosshairs of foreign intelligence." It does not mention any country.
"The Board's investigation will examine all available information," it adds.
Wall Street reacted to the news, and by 15:20 GMT, the world's second-largest market cap company was down 4.30% to $178.79 per share.
Trump defends him
Born in Taipei in 1963, Jensen Huang was sent to a boarding school in Kentucky, United States, when he was nine years old.
He graduated from college at 20 and in 1993 founded Nvidia, which in recent years has seen a meteoric rise thanks to its GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), specialized chips that are fundamental in the development of generative AI.
As a sign of his influence, he was part of the delegation of business leaders who traveled with President Donald Trump to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing in May.
Trump is scheduled to have talks with the Chinese president later this month as part of a summit in China.
Asked if Jensen Huang will accompany him on his tour of Asia, which includes the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, Trump replied to reporters: "I don't know, but I would certainly bring him."
"I only know that he is a good person, but you never know what is happening. I am sure, I hope everything is fine. He has done an incredible job," Trump told reporters on Sunday when asked about Huang.
According to The New York Times, Trump was informed of Huang's relationship with the businesswoman about a year ago and decided not to take action.
Trump noted on Sunday that he did not regret not taking action. "He is an honorable guy. I think he probably has an explanation," he insisted.
However, technology analyst Dan Ives, of the investment bank Yorkville Ives, estimates that the investigation is a "major black eye" for Jensen Huang. He anticipates it could trigger multiple congressional investigations and "will create uncertainty around the stock (of Nvidia) for a number of reasons."
"It will increase the intense scrutiny over chip sales to China, which remains a key point of contention in Washington," the analyst added.
[Publicidad]