Alice Huang boasted to her investors that she would have no problem accessing Nvidia’s AI chip for her upcoming project.
Alice Huang, the alleged Chinese spy linked to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, pitched a multimillion-dollar artificial intelligence infrastructure project to investors, claiming she could secure the US company’s advanced chips and citing Chinese technology giant Alibaba as a prospective client, according to a Financial Times report. During the pitch, the pair said they had no problem securing Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs), a key component used to develop and operate artificial intelligence systems. They also cited Alibaba as a client for the proposed project, according to an investor familiar with the discussions.
The development adds another dimension to the scrutiny surrounding Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based cloud computing company Megaspeed, following allegations that she was recruited by Chinese intelligence to establish a relationship with Jensen Huang and potentially influence his position on US restrictions on advanced chip exports to China. The allegations have not been independently established. Beijing has rejected the espionage claims, while Megaspeed has denied wrongdoing related to chip smuggling.
The company has said it has no reason to believe that its national security interests or confidential information were compromised. The proposed data-centre project also raises questions about how advanced Nvidia chips could be made available to Chinese businesses through infrastructure located outside mainland China. US intelligence officials reportedly believe Alice Huang was connected to a Chinese espionage effort targeting Jensen Huang. The alleged objective was to gather information about the Nvidia chief and influence his efforts to persuade Washington to ease restrictions on advanced AI chip exports to China. The allegations have nevertheless brought renewed attention to Nvidia’s business dealings in China and the security implications of its global AI chip supply chain.