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The scandal surrounding Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang could carry far beyond his personal life.

There are concerns about what the discovery of his marital infidelity could mean for the global artificial intelligence (AI) industry.

Huang has admitted to having an affair with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed.

US intelligence officials believe she was working for Chinese intelligence.

Speaking to CapeTalks’ John Maytham, technology commentator Professor Steven Boykey Sidley said Nvidia was one of the world’s most important technology companies.

“It’s the second biggest company in the world, just behind Apple. It is the brains of AI.”

He explained that Nvidia makes the powerful chips used by many of the world’s leading AI companies.

“Nvidia is the glue at the centre of the entire industry. It is the brains of AI. There are no AI companies anywhere in the Western world that do not use or want to use Nvidia chips. It is absolutely critical to the future of AI.”

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Sidley said the controversy raised questions about whether sensitive technology or company information could have reached China.

The US has banned China from buying certain AI chips, fearing it will use them for weapons development and cyberwarfare technologies.

Megaspeed had purchased 240,000 Nvidia chips.

“So there’s a huge question right there, because where are those 240,000 chips?”

There are also concerns about whether confidential information about Nvidia’s future technology could have been shared.

“Did she convince Jensen Wang to give her secrets about future architectures… or even documents, a more serious accusation? We don’t know,” said Sidley.

Sidley says if the 240,000 chips have found their way into China, it would be a violation of an important capability.

“But if they have gotten secrets beyond that, it’s a violation of something that could be much more serious for national security.”

Sidley explained that the controversy was particularly significant because the US and China are competing to lead the global AI industry.

“The relationship between China and the US is already frosty and somewhat brittle. For them to have deployed a Chinese spy, if she is indeed that, and a honeypot spy… will dissolve this relationship even further as the new administration is coming in.”

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