Manhattan Prosecutors Probe Alice Huang's Entities Over Super Micro Smuggling, Bloomberg Reports; Jensen Huang Agrees to Testify

Since Jensen Huang stepped down as Nvidia's president, CEO and board member today, Nov. 12, the investigation around Megaspeed executive Alice Huang has widened. Federal prosecutors are looking at a second smuggling case, and Congress has a testimony commitment.

A second smuggling inquiry

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan is examining whether entities tied to Alice Huang had a hand in attempts to smuggle Super Micro Computer products into China, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The probe is in addition to the Justice Department's existing investigation into Megaspeed, her former company, over suspected chip smuggling.

It is not established that her entities did anything wrong. Bloomberg said it remains uncertain whether the inquiry connects to any of the chip-smuggling prosecutions launched in the U.S. or Asia, and what part Alice Huang or her entities might have had in the alleged smuggling. Justice Department investigations sometimes wrap up without anyone being charged. Representatives for the Justice Department and the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office had no comment. Bloomberg said it could not reach Alice Huang, who it said is residing in Beijing.

Super Micro has a history here. Manhattan prosecutors charged co-founder Yih-Shyan "Wally" Liaw and two others in March over a scheme to divert Nvidia-powered servers to China through a Southeast Asian intermediary. Bloomberg identified that intermediary as Bangkok-based OBON. Co-defendant Ting-Wei "Willy" Sun pleaded guilty to four counts in October. Liaw pleaded not guilty and has left Super Micro's board.

Super Micro is not a defendant. The company said in August that none of its current senior leaders knew about the scheme and that it is cooperating with investigators. It declined to comment on the scrutiny of Alice Huang.

Bloomberg also reported that Jensen Huang is not a target of the federal probes. A separate espionage investigation, according to its source, includes a look at Alice Huang's relationship with him. The two are not related.

Singapore's investigation

Singapore authorities have issued Alice Huang a stern warning and barred her from re-entering the country after finding that she provided inaccurate information during investigations into Megaspeed, according to Times of India. Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs said the Singapore Police Force assessed that she had attempted to mislead investigators to downplay her role in the company. The probe centers on suspected false declarations involving the purchase of servers and other related offences. The police and Singapore Customs launched separate investigations into Megaspeed and others in February 2025.

Megaspeed and China

Megaspeed has denied wrongdoing and said it is a "compliant and legal company." Corporate records in Singapore show Alice Huang was a director there from March to November 2023. Megaspeed has purchased more than $4 billion worth of Nvidia chips by some analyst estimates, according to CNN.

China's Foreign Ministry has called the espionage allegation unsubstantiated. U.S. officials suspect she is an agent of Beijing's spy agencies.

The personal thread

Alice Huang's husband, Chinese businessman Kang Wei, knew about her relationship with Jensen Huang and introduced them, according to The Wall Street Journal, as reported by The Daily Beast. The Journal said Kang accepted that the affair lasted around two years and half-jokingly referred to his wife as Huang's personal assistant. The couple previously founded a Shanghai investment firm, and Kang met Huang sometime in the 2010s. After acquiring the Singapore unit of a video game company, they renamed it Megaspeed International in March 2023.

Jensen Huang has admitted to two extramarital affairs, including one with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of healthcare. Nvidia's board said it had "no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised" but would "examine all available information." The company said Sunday it was opening an independent investigation into whether Huang was "the target of a foreign intelligence effort."

Congress gets its answers, behind closed doors

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast said Huang agreed to testify after senior lawmakers threatened a subpoena. "Jensen and I have been very at odds as some of you already know on export controls, but Nvidia is a very important company to the United States of America," Mast told reporters at the Capitol. "I don't want to see anything hurt in Nvidia, but he has some very serious questions to answer."

The testimony is expected under oath before Thanksgiving later this month. The session appears likely to take place behind closed doors, although Mast said he expected it to be recorded on video and transcribed. The House China and Intelligence panels will take part alongside Foreign Affairs. No final date has been set.

Colette Kress, Nvidia's chief financial officer, is interim CEO and will continue in her finance role until the board decides on a permanent replacement. Huang's closed-door session, whenever it lands, is the first chance for lawmakers to put questions about Megaspeed and Alice Huang to him under oath.