SANTA CLARA – NVIDIA’s Board of Directors has initiated an independent investigation following reports that the company’s founder and Chief Executive Officer, Jensen Huang, was the target of an alleged foreign intelligence operation.

In a statement, the company said a committee comprising independent directors would oversee the investigation, with assistance from external independent legal counsel.

The Board stressed that safeguarding United States national security and economic interests remained its highest priority, alongside protecting NVIDIA and its shareholders.

It said there was currently no reason to believe that either national security or NVIDIA’s confidential information had been compromised.

However, the investigation would examine all available information to establish the circumstances surrounding the reported intelligence effort.

Huang has expressed full support for the review and pledged to cooperate with the investigation.

The Board also reaffirmed its confidence in Huang and the company’s leadership team, adding that further updates would be provided when appropriate.

According to a report by The New York Times, US intelligence officials believed that Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, who was reportedly close to NVIDIA founder and Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang, was acting as a spy for Beijing.

NVIDIA, one of the world’s largest technology companies, plays a pivotal role in supplying the hardware that powers emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Jensen Huang has led the company for more than three decades.