Nvidia said its board was starting a probe into whether its CEO Jensen Huang was being targeted by a Chinese-linked spy following reports of his alleged relations with a Chinese business woman who was reportedly passing intelligence to Beijing.

In a message to employees, Huang admitted he had been unfaithful to his wife, taking “full responsibility” for his actions.

Last month, it was reported by the New York Times that Huang was in a relationship with Alice Huang – unrelated – who was a former executive of Megaspeed, a Singapore-based company that the US had deemed an asset to Chinese intelligence after an investigation.

Megaspeed, which purchases AI chips from Nvidia, has faced much scrutiny from the US over allegations that it is supplying restricted AI chips to China.

The NYT report alleges that US officials deemed Alice Huang to be a spy recruited to supply information from Nvidia to China.

The Nvidia board said that it currently has no reason to believe that either its or the US’s security has been compromised.

“The Board prioritizes US national and economic security, which is paramount to the interests of NVIDIA and its shareholders,” Nvidia said. “The Board has confidence in Jensen and his leadership team and will provide further updates as appropriate.”

The board will scrutinise all information in its investigation, the firm said.

CEO Huang has given his support to the investigation and says he plans on cooperating fully with it.

Nvidia’s dominance as an AI chip supplier has made Jensen Huang one of the most powerful tech leaders in the world, and he has positioned himself as an ally to current US President Donald Trump.

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However, concerns from the US over AI competition with China has lead the country to restrict the imports of Nvidia’s AI chips to the Chinese market, locking Huang and his company out of one of the largest and most competitive markets in AI and tech.

Upon the revelations of Huang’s affair and the potential security fallouts it wrought reaching the public, Trump commented:  “I think he’s an honorable guy. I think he probably has an excuse for it.”

While Trump does not seem as concerned about the potential espionage attempt, legislators in his party are considering pulling Huang for a close-door briefing with the House foreign affairs and intelligence committees to provide further details on his affair and Nvidia’s security protocols.