Alice Huang Had Business Ties to Huawei? U.S. Probe Expands Despite Jensen Huang's Resignation (Comprehensive)

Companies Backed by Alice Huang Linked to Huawei Data Center
U.S. Justice Department Probes Possible Role in Smuggling Semiconductor Servers into China
U.S. House Seeks Closed-Door Testimony from Jensen Huang

A report has emerged that Alice Huang, who had an extramarital relationship with former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, also had business ties to Huawei, Nvidia's biggest competitor in China. As the U.S. Department of Justice investigates whether companies linked to Alice Huang were involved in smuggling advanced semiconductor servers, Congress is also expanding its inquiry into the former CEO.

According to CNBC on November 12 (local time), the U.S. private intelligence analysis firm Tesari traced investment ties among Chinese companies in which Alice Huang had previously held stakes and found that she was connected to a data center that provided computing services to Huawei.

Based on Chinese company disclosures obtained by Tesari and reports by foreign media, Alice Huang was a co-owner of Shanghai Hexi, which invested in technology companies and data centers, beginning in 2016. In 2021, Shanghai Hexi acquired a 27% stake in Shanghai Century Rongteng, a data center developer.

Shanghai Century Rongteng held a 50.1% stake in Shenzhen Yifeng Technology, a data center operator in Shenzhen, China. CNBC reported that Huawei Cloud, Huawei's cloud business unit, was one of Shenzhen Yifeng Technology's major customers.

CNBC noted that Alice Huang indirectly held a stake in a data center that provided computing resources to Huawei. It also found that Zhejiang Century Huatong Group, the data center's majority shareholder, began purchasing Nvidia semiconductors in 2023.

However, it has not been confirmed whether the Shenzhen data center that did business with Huawei actually obtained Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs). It is also unclear whether former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang knew about Alice Huang's business ties to Huawei.

Shanghai Hexi sold its stake in Century Rongteng in 2024, but Alice Huang's business associates are reportedly still connected to the Shenzhen data center. Alice Huang's husband and longtime business partner, Kang Wei, founded Shanghai Hexi and became an executive at Century Rongteng in 2022. He also attended an event to sign a contract between the company and Huawei.

U.S. DOJ Probes Possible Involvement of Alice Huang in Semiconductor Smuggling 

Jensen Huang, Nvidia CEO (left), and Alice Huang, who is suspected of being a Chinese spy.

As business ties between Alice Huang and Huawei have come to light, the U.S. Department of Justice is also investigating whether companies linked to Alice Huang were involved in smuggling advanced semiconductor servers into China.

According to Bloomberg, the DOJ is investigating whether companies linked to Alice Huang were involved in an attempt to smuggle products made by U.S. server manufacturer Super Micro Computer into China. The investigation is being led by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan.

One case drawing attention in connection with the investigation is a server-smuggling case involving Yih-Shyan "Wally" Liaw, a co-founder of Super Micro. In March, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office indicted Liaw and two others on charges of exporting servers containing Nvidia semiconductors to companies in Southeast Asia and then rerouting them to customers in China. Prosecutors said two unidentified intermediaries were also involved in moving the servers to China.

However, it has not been disclosed what specific role Alice Huang or companies linked to her played in the case. Liaw has denied the charges and has since left Super Micro. Super Micro was not among those indicted.

The DOJ is also investigating allegations that Alice Huang engaged in espionage. Investigators are looking into her relationship with former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang as well. Jensen Huang is reportedly not currently a target of the U.S. investigation.

U.S. Congress Seeks Closed-Door Testimony from Jensen Huang

Congress has said it will continue investigating national security concerns regardless of the former CEO's resignation. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast said on November 13 that representatives for the former CEO had conveyed the previous night that he would cooperate with Congress's request for closed-door testimony.

Earlier, Chairman Mast, House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford asked the former CEO to attend a closed-door joint briefing on November 18.

Chairman Mast warned that he was prepared to issue a subpoena if the former CEO reversed his decision to testify. Other Nvidia employees could also become subjects of the investigation. Chairman Mast said, "We are also interested in testimony from other parts of Nvidia involved in Jensen and his work."

Chairman Moolenaar stressed that the investigation should determine the activities of Chinese intelligence agencies, the possibility of access to classified information, and whether there was lobbying to influence semiconductor export controls on China.

Chairman Moolenaar said that the situation had changed with the former CEO's departure, but argued that he should appear in person to explain the matter, saying, "He has criticized people who believe export controls are justified."

Calls for an investigation have also emerged in the Senate, following the House. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, told reporters on November 13, "Given the very significant national security risks at stake, I expect there will be follow-up action," CNBC reported.

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