U.S. Intelligence: "Chinese Executive in Contact with Jensen Huang Is an Informant"

Trump Took No Significant Action After Being Briefed a Year Ago

U.S. intelligence officials reportedly identified a Chinese corporate executive who had developed close ties with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang as an asset of Chinese intelligence agencies. U.S. President Donald Trump was briefed on the information about a year ago but reportedly took no significant action.

Yonhap News Agency

According to The New York Times (NYT) on October 29 (local time), U.S. intelligence officials identified Ellis Huang, an executive at Singaporean data center company Megaspeed, as someone providing information to Chinese intelligence agencies.

Ellis Huang, a Chinese national, was reportedly investigated by U.S. authorities over allegations that he had helped Nvidia's advanced AI chips enter China by circumventing U.S. export controls.

While monitoring Ellis Huang, U.S. intelligence officials reportedly learned that he had close ties with CEO Huang. The NYT reported that officials are concerned China may have exploited this relationship to obtain information not only about Nvidia's business strategy but also about the Trump Administration's policy on semiconductor exports to China.

CEO Huang maintains a close relationship with President Trump and wields considerable influence over U.S. AI and semiconductor export policy. The fact that a Chinese intelligence asset was able to contact him directly therefore raised alarm within the White House, the NYT reported.

President Trump was briefed on the information about a year ago but reportedly took no significant action. The NYT said Trump had been wary of disrupting Nvidia's semiconductor sales or complicating trade relations with China. CEO Huang also reportedly received no separate warning from U.S. intelligence officials about the possibility of being approached by Chinese intelligence agencies.

According to trade records obtained by the NYT, Megaspeed's Malaysian affiliate purchased at least $4.8 billion worth of Nvidia semiconductors and advanced AI equipment from June 2024 through February 2026.

In late 2024, during an investigation into Megaspeed, the U.S. Department of Commerce found Nvidia equipment in a Malaysian data center still packed in boxes and not installed. The department later transferred the related investigation to the Department of Justice this year.

Nvidia said its own investigation into allegations that Megaspeed smuggled semiconductors found them to be untrue. China also officially called the allegations baseless slander through its embassy in Washington.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.