It sounds like the opening of a spy thriller. Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang has admitted to being unfaithful, with reports he had three extramarital affairs.
One is said to have been with Alice Huang (no relation), a former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed International, who was reportedly suspected of working for Beijing.
The US Justice Department is investigating whether Megaspeed violated export control laws by facilitating Chinese access to restricted AI chips.
It has not been established yet what exactly Ms Huang provided to China's intelligence network. However, it has already rattled investors and brought wider scrutiny to Nvidia's business with China.
The tech giant's stock hit a 14-year low relative to earnings this week, while facing a proposed shareholder class-action lawsuit alleging it misled investors over Mr Huang's relationship with Alice Huang.
The crisis also led to Mr Huang's resignation as Nvidia chief executive and director, ending his 33-year leadership of the company.
When romantic relationships become intertwined with national security, private lives are inevitably drawn into geopolitical rivalry.
During the Cold War, the East German intelligence service ran so-called "Operation Romeo", in which male agents were instructed to develop romantic relationships with women in the West German government to gain access to classified information.
Today, intelligence activities may also leverage commercial networks and professional channels, making it increasingly difficult…
