She was building a career in Chinese finance before turning to tech with a leadership role at a data center company in Singapore.
asserted
She → build → Singapore
He is the high-profile CEO of Nvidia, the California-based company that makes computer chips relied upon by advanced artificial intelligence systems.
asserted
that → base → systems
An affair between Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Alice Huang, who reportedly was suspected of working as a spy for Beijing, has rocked the tech and political worlds.
uncertain
who → suspect → worlds
The Chinese businesswoman also known as Huang Le had a close relationship with Jensen Huang, according to reports over the past month by the New York Times.
uncertain
businesswoman → know → Times
The newspaper also reported that top policymakers were informed in a memo that intelligence indicated she was a spy for China’s Ministry of State Security, recruited to influence Nvidia to make its most advanced chips more available in China.
asserted
chips → report → China
In one widely shared photograph of the pair, Jensen Huang and people surrounding him are holding drinks in Taipei, while Alice Huang sits behind him, apparently watching him in conversation.
asserted
Huang → share → conversation
The picture was posted in 2024 by software company NetThunder to its LinkedIn page.
asserted
picture → post → page
It remains unclear how long the affair lasted, and when exactly the relationship might have ended.
uncertain
relationship → remain → ?
The Associated Press was unable to reach Alice Huang for comment.
asserted
Press → reach → comment
She was a Chinese finance executive before becoming involved in artificial intelligence, data centers and computer chips.
asserted
She → become → intelligence
In 2023, she became a director at Singapore-based Megaspeed, which describes itself as an “NVIDIA cloud partner.”
asserted
which → become → partner
Last year, Megaspeed faced scrutiny from the U.S. over its alleged skirting of U.S. export restrictions and routing of a large amount of advanced Nvidia chips for Chinese users.
asserted
Megaspeed → face → users
Megaspeed was incorporated in 2015 in Singapore with the name 7Road International, after being spun off as the overseas arm of a Chinese video game developer, according to corporate registration records.
uncertain
Megaspeed → incorporate → records
Filings show that in March 2023, it renamed itself Megaspeed International, with all of the shares transferred to Huang Le Limited, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands.
asserted
all → show → Islands
That same month, Alice Huang became Megaspeed’s controlling shareholder, according to research by the C4ADS, a Washington-based nonprofit focused on global security.
uncertain
Huang → become → security
But by November 2023, she was no longer listed as a director at Megaspeed, and all her shares were transferred to a Singaporean businessman, Tan Yong Pong, who also is known as James Tan.
asserted
who → list → Tan
While public records suggest Alice Huang left Megaspeed, short seller Culper Research issued a report in May this year that cited a Megaspeed employee saying Huang was “actually still our boss” and was still involved in the company’s daily operations.
uncertain
Huang → suggest → operations
Before Megaspeed, Alice Huang previously held senior positions at the Chinese firm Shanghai Hexi Investment Co. from around 2015 to 2017, according to social media posts and records from Simuwang, a Chinese private equity database.
uncertain
Huang → hold → Simuwang
Her roles at Hexi included deputy general manager, executive director and member of the investment committee, according to Hexi's social media posts, among possible other roles.
Hexi's founder Kang Wei, who appeared on some records alongside Alice Huang, was fined in 2018 by China's securities regulator 400,000 yuan ($60,000) over financial misconduct behaviors while Hexi was fined 17.7 million yuan ($2.7 million).
Before that, Alice Huang worked at HSBC’s Hong Kong private banking arm and at CITIC Securities, a Chinese investment bank.
uncertain
Huang → include → Securities
HSBC and CITIC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on her employment history.
asserted
HSBC → respond → history
Beijing has refuted claims that Alice Huang was a Chinese spy.
uncertain
Huang → refute → claims
Its Foreign Ministry said this week that the “Chinese spy allegation is unsubstantiated.
asserted
allegation → say → ?
Why Megaspeed is at the center of the controversy
With the emergence of the latest scandal, Singapore-based AI computing company Megaspeed, where Alice Huang was a senior executive, is once again under the spotlight.
asserted
Huang → base → spotlight
Megaspeed, an Nvidia customer, was originally incorporated in 2015 before changing its name to Megaspeed International in 2023.
asserted
Megaspeed → incorporate → 2023
Nvidia lists Megaspeed as a partner on its website, while Megaspeed says on its website it's “a core business partner of NVIDIA’s computing power cloud business in the Asia-Pacific region.”
asserted
it → list → region
It was the overseas gaming arm of Shenzhen-based developer 7Road Holdings Ltd.
Late last year, Megaspeed denied accusations following reports that it was routing Nvidia chips to China, saying in a statement on its website that “there has been no evidence of any violations concerning the illicit transfer of chips or any illegal activities.”
asserted
it → base → chips
Singapore’s government said in late October, after fresh reports that Alice Huang was accused of being a Chinese intelligence source, that authorities were investigating Megaspeed and that Singapore “does not condone businesses” circumventing or violating other countries’ export controls.
asserted
businesses → say → controls
However, it said, there were no investigations conducted in respect to Alice Huang.
asserted
it → say → Huang
Megaspeed did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
asserted
Megaspeed → respond → comment
The Aporia
