According to the board's statement, a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside counsel, will oversee the investigation. The board wrote that it has no reason to believe national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, but that the inquiry will examine all available information. It added that Huang supports the review and has committed to cooperating, and that the board has confidence in him and the leadership team.
In the memo to employees, posted on the company's website, Huang wrote that he was unfaithful to his wife and takes full responsibility. He told employees, partners and shareholders that they "deserve better" and that he had fallen short of his responsibility. On the security concerns, he wrote that he supports the investigation and is committed to protecting Nvidia and supporting US national security.
According to TechCrunch and The Verge, the affair was with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed, an Nvidia customer that the US Commerce Department is investigating over suspected smuggling of AI chips to China. A memo circulated among US policymakers claimed she had been recruited by China's Ministry of State Security. Last week Congress summoned Huang to a closed-door briefing on the matter, as we reported.
Before the announcement, Nvidia had said the pair's interactions were "not unusual" and that it does not share classified information with customers. No timeline for the investigation was given, and the board said it will provide updates as appropriate.
