The key facts

  • According to one European intelligence service's estimate, about 600,000 people in China are engaged in intelligence and security work
  • Nvidia announced on November 8 an independent review of reports that Huang may have been targeted by a foreign intelligence service
  • China's Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations, calling them slander; the investigation into Megaspeed in Singapore began in February 2025

The essence of the reports

According to The Wall Street Journal, China has launched the world's largest intelligence operation aimed at obtaining the technologies needed to develop the economy, modernize the armed forces, strengthen the Communist Party's control within the country, and expand influence abroad. According to an estimate by one European intelligence service, about 600,000 people in China work in intelligence and security, and Western officials claim that no activity of comparable scale exists anywhere else in the world.

Jensen Huang as a possible target

One likely target of the campaign may be Nvidia chief Jensen Huang. American officials fear that Chinese intelligence services may have tried to influence him through Alice Huang, who is linked to the Singapore-based company Megaspeed; US intelligence agencies suspect her of cooperating with Chinese intelligence. In the US, an investigation is underway into a possible circumvention of export restrictions through Megaspeed: the company is suspected of supplying advanced Nvidia chips to China. Nigel Inkster, former director of operations at Britain's MI6, noted that Huang may be of interest to Beijing not only as the head of a key American technology company, but also because of his closeness to President Donald Trump and his ability to influence his administration's decisions on chip exports to China.

Reaction and reviews

The conflict surrounding Jensen Huang intensified in early November after reports emerged about his relationship with Alice Huang. On November 8, Nvidia's board of directors announced the start of an independent review in connection with reports that Huang may have been targeted by a foreign intelligence service. China's Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations, calling them slander. In Singapore, the investigation into Megaspeed began in February 2025: police and customs are checking for possible violations in the paperwork involved in server purchases.

Context

Nicholas Eftimiades, a former employee of the US Defense Department's intelligence agency, told WSJ that the West is not used to this approach and has no mechanisms to protect against it. The WSJ reports are based on assessments by Western intelligence and official structures; the claims themselves about Alice Huang's ties to Chinese intelligence and about influence on the Nvidia chief remain subject to verification and have not been officially confirmed.