Alice Huang, the founder of chip buyer Megaspeed International at the center of an investigation involving Nvidia Corp. chief executive officer Jensen Huang, has returned to Beijing with the knowledge of security officials, people familiar with the matter said, The Business Times reported.
Megaspeed emerged as Nvidia’s largest buyer in South-east Asia following its founding in 2023, serving as a major conduit for advanced hardware shipments into China after the United States imposed export restrictions. Nvidia’s board launched an inquiry into allegations concerning Huang, also known as Huang Le, after the chief executive admitted to an extra-marital affair.
China’s Foreign Ministry denied that she was a spy when asked about the allegations. The ministry did not immediately respond to a subsequent request for comment on her return to the capital.
Huang Established Megaspeed After Working in Private Equity
Huang established Megaspeed in 2023 after working in private equity and television. The company was spun off from 7Road Holdings, a major Chinese video game enterprise, shortly after former US President Joe Biden restricted advanced artificial intelligence chip shipments to China.
Trade records indicate that Megaspeed imported goods worth more than a thousand times its 2023 cash balance.
Its total imports of Nvidia products have surpassed US$4.6 billion.
At multiple facilities across South-east Asia, the firm rents these chips to Alibaba Group. Alibaba recently faced US national security concerns regarding potential ties to China’s military, allegations the company has denied.
Huang Held Prior Roles in Finance Before Launching Megaspeed
Before launching the neocloud business, Huang worked in finance, serving as vice-general manager of Shanghai Hexi Investment starting in November 2015, according to posts on the fund house’s WeChat account. She also held prior roles at Citic Securities and HSBC.
Representatives for HSBC, Citic Securities, and Hexi did not respond to requests for comment. Alibaba and Megaspeed also declined to comment on their operational relationship.
It remains unclear when or why Huang traveled to Beijing, or what activities she is currently engaged in there.
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