Alice Huang, the woman reportedly involved in an extramarital affair with Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, has drawn attention over her mysterious background, with questions emerging about her claimed career in the media and financial sectors.
Huang Le, also known as Alice Huang, reportedly held a senior position at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed. She has claimed to have worked as a journalist for China's state broadcaster CCTV and Hunan Television before moving into finance and later the semiconductor industry.
However, a representative of Hunan Television reportedly said the broadcaster could not find any record of her employment. Neither broadcaster's official website has provided publicly available information confirming her claimed media career.
Huang has also reportedly claimed to have worked as an assistant to the president of HSBC's private banking division, a vice-president at CITIC Securities, and an executive director and fund manager at Shanghai Hexi Investment.
HSBC and CITIC Securities have declined to comment on her alleged employment history, while Shanghai Hexi Investment has reportedly invested in semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related companies, some of which have Chinese state-owned backgrounds.
Her connection to Megaspeed has attracted particular attention. The Singapore-based data center company reportedly purchased more than US$4.8 billion worth of Nvidia chips over the past two years, making it one of the chipmaker's largest customers in Southeast Asia.
US intelligence officials reportedly suspect Huang of being recruited by China's Ministry of State Security to gather sensitive business information through her alleged relationship with the Nvidia chief.
The allegations have prompted calls for further scrutiny in Washington. Nvidia's board has reportedly launched an independent investigation into whether Huang was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.
Meanwhile, three Republican House committee chairmen have requested a closed-door briefing with Jensen Huang on November 18 to discuss the matter.
The alleged espionage links have not been independently established.
