Rubio Raised Alarms Over Nvidia CEO's Ties to Chinese Intel Figure
A secret memo drafted with Rubio's input flagged concerns about Jensen Huang's relationship with a woman linked to Chinese intelligence.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio played a central role in drafting a classified memorandum warning senior U.S. officials about Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang's relationship with a woman believed to have ties to Chinese intelligence, according to a report by The New York Times.
The existence of the memo signals that concerns about Huang's connections had reached the highest levels of the U.S. government by last spring, drawing scrutiny from officials responsible for national security as well as technology export policy. Nvidia is the dominant supplier of advanced artificial intelligence chips, making Huang one of the most consequential figures in the global competition between Washington and Beijing over AI supremacy.
Read more Commerce Dept. Approved Chinese Firms for Nvidia H200 Chips Despite Red Flags →
The disclosure underscores the degree to which the U.S. government has been quietly monitoring potential influence operations targeting American technology executives. Intelligence officials have long warned that China deploys personal relationships as a tool to gather information or shape the behavior of key figures in strategic industries.
Rubio's involvement in flagging the matter — before he was confirmed as the nation's top diplomat — illustrates how the concern transcended any single agency and was treated as a priority across different corners of the national security apparatus. The precise contents of the memo and any formal response from U.S. officials have not been made public.
Nvidia and Jensen Huang have not been accused of any wrongdoing, and the report does not allege that Huang acted improperly or was aware of the woman's alleged intelligence connections. Continue reading at NYT > Business.
