The personal matter arrives as Nvidia’s market weight remains enormous. A drop of 3.1% for Nvidia, previously worth about $5tn, was recently the heaviest force pulling the S&P 500 downward. The evidence does not tie that move to the admission.
Huang has long found himself at the centre of those US-China tensions. Despite the concerns, he was invited to join Trump’s delegation when the president traveled to China in May.
President Donald Trump, with whom Huang has a famously close relationship, told reporters: “I just know he’s a fine person, but you never know what’s going on.” Trump added that Huang had “done an amazing job for our country.”.
US officials have cited threats to the US supply chain and fears over national security risks as the rationale. The controls effectively bar Nvidia from selling its top-tier processors to customers in China.
The review concerns one of the technology industry’s most high-profile figures. Nvidia’s chips are a cornerstone of the artificial intelligence boom, and that role has put Huang in one of the industry’s most influential jobs.
That relationship has not lifted the restrictions that define Nvidia’s China business. Despite his closeness to Trump, Huang has not managed to win a concession from the administration.
Huang said he was unfaithful to his wife, that his actions hurt her and their children, and that there was no excuse for what he did. “I was unfaithful to my wife,” he said in a statement. “There is no excuse for what I did,” he said in a draft email also seen by Reuters.
The admission sits against an image Huang has worked to maintain. “Jensen in my conversations with him and in other conversations has gone to great lengths to present himself as a family man,” said a person who has spoken with him. “But for someone who has gone to such great lengths to cultivate an image of being a family guy and who keeps his children very close, it is very bad.”.
“The Board has confidence in Jensen and his leadership team and will provide further updates as appropriate,” the company said. It added: “The Board prioritizes US national and economic security, which is paramount to the interests of NVIDIA and its shareholders.”. The company said it had no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised. Its inquiry, it said, would examine all available information.