The key facts

  • The investigation will be led by Joon H. Kim, who served as Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York in 2017–2018
  • The board said it sees no reason to believe that US national security or Nvidia's confidential data have been compromised
  • Huang confirmed his readiness to cooperate with the investigation and, in a separate message to employees, apologized to his family, colleagues and shareholders

Independent directors launched a review

The independent members of the board of directors of the American chipmaker Nvidia have hired former federal prosecutor Joon H. Kim and the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to conduct an investigation, the company said on Tuesday. According to a statement by the independent directors, Kim will lead the review together with his firm. The move follows reports that Nvidia founder and chief executive Jensen Huang became the target of a foreign intelligence operation. The investigation was initiated by a board decision announced on Sunday; a committee of independent directors, with the involvement of outside counsel, will oversee the review. Anadolu reported this.

The position of the board and Huang himself

The board of directors said it has no reason to believe that US national security or Nvidia's confidential information were compromised, but pledged to examine all available information as part of the investigation. The independent directors also expressed confidence in Huang and his management team, noting that the company's chief has backed the review and committed to cooperating. “I support the investigation and will cooperate fully,” Huang said, commenting on the national security concerns raised in media reports. In a separate message to employees on Sunday, he admitted infidelity to his wife and apologized to his family, colleagues and shareholders.

Who will lead the investigation

Joon H. Kim served as Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York — one of the key federal districts in the United States — from 2017 to 2018. According to his biography on the firm's website, his practice at Wachtell Lipton includes internal investigations, defense in regulatory disputes and corporate litigation. Sources do not report details of the intelligence operation that prompted the review; the timeline of the investigation is also unknown.