U.S. authorities are investigating an alleged network suspected of smuggling advanced AI chips to China. The probe reportedly has links to NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and centers on Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, who allegedly had a close relationship with him and is suspected of being a Chinese intelligence asset.
Investigators are examining possible espionage and the collection of sensitive commercial information for Beijing.
NVIDIA said its dealings with the regional cloud provider involved were ordinary business interactions and that it shared no sensitive trade secrets or information relevant to national security. The company also said allegations that the provider diverted chips were investigated and debunked last year.
The news comes as NVIDIA shares have declined and Apple has reclaimed its position as the world's most valuable company from the chipmaker.