The global hegemony that the United States and China are waging is largely based on artificial intelligence (AI). At the root of this conflict are the chips used to train language models and perform inference, as well as the resources required This semiconductor manufacturingLike some critical minerals. And AI revolves around the strategic capabilities of countries that are already benefiting from this technology, such as their scientific, technological, economic or military development.
The decisions that governments in Washington and Beijing have made over the past four years have put an unpleasant reality on the table: Neither is willing to take a step back. To give the least if it means reducing their ability to exert pressure. Both are using sanctions to protect themselves and weaken their rivals, but there is another resource that is often overlooked, and which could play a decisive role in the evolution of this conflict: espionage.
The New York Times has uncovered an alleged espionage campaign planned by the Chinese government and centered on Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. US intelligence services have been closely following Alice Huang, an executive at the Singaporean company Megaspeed, for at least two years and have come to a conclusion: she works for Chinese intelligence services. Huang Le, as he is also known, would have gone unnoticed had he not been associated with one of the heavyweights of the AI industry: Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia.
Nvidia denies everything
The plot, described by The New York Times, could be taken from a Hollywood movie script, but it is very real. On August 26, 2022, the US government notified Nvidia that it needed a special license to export two of its most advanced AI accelerators to China: the A100 and H100 chips. In effect, the measure is all about preventing Chinese companies with some connection to the Chinese military from acquiring these GPUs and turning Nvidia into a throwing weapon that puts Jensen Huang in the crosshairs of both the US and Chinese administrations.
US authorities suspect that Megaspeed helped Chinese firms obtain the most advanced Nvidia chips
Nvidia’s leader has spoken out on numerous occasions against the US government-sanctioned export ban. He warned the administrations of first Joe Biden and then Donald Trump that this strategy would boost the country’s development. Chinese semiconductor industry. However, their disagreement has had another effect: It has fueled the suspicions of the US Commerce Department, which is responsible for ensuring compliance with export restrictions. And, as a bonus, it put him in the crosshairs of the intelligence services.
So what does Alice Huang have to do with this plot? The story is strange. His company, Megaspeed, operates data centers in Southeast Asia and rents computing capacity to several Chinese companies, including Alibaba. And US authorities suspect it has helped Chinese companies that can’t get Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips. But there is something else. They also believe that Alice Huang and Jensen Huang had a very close professional and social relationship for at least two years.
The New York Times confirms that they were photographed together in a bar in Taipei (Taiwan) in June 2024, during a meeting attended by executives from other technology sectors. They were all drinking. In May 2025, again in Taipei, they met again at a business dinner with more industry suppliers and were photographed. Leave the restaurant together. The Times story doesn’t claim that Jensen Huang and Alice Huang have or have had a romantic relationship in the past, but it hints in a veiled way.
Nvidia has already made an official statement. And he denies everything. He assured that the relationship between the two Huangs was strictly business. It also maintains that its clients receive general information about their business, but in no case sensitive trade secrets or other data relevant to US national security. Another hero, Megaspeed, has launched an internal investigation and is willing to cooperate with the US government.
Picture | Flickr
More information The New York Times
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