Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang cultivated a close relationship with US President Donald Trump while lobbying his administration to ease restrictions on advanced artificial intelligence chip sales to China, a New York Post report said. The relationship is now facing scrutiny amid allegations that Huang was caught in a Chinese intelligence operation involving a businesswoman with whom he has admitted having an affair.Huang has acknowledged the extramarital relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based technology company Megaspeed International. US intelligence officials reportedly believe she was gathering information for Beijing. The allegations have not been independently established, and China has dismissed claims of a spying operation as baseless.The controversy has raised questions about potential national security implications, particularly given Nvidia’s central role in America’s artificial intelligence industry and Huang’s influence over US policy on advanced semiconductor exports.Trump and Huang became “good friends”, the report said citing sources.Huang has been among the strongest advocates of allowing Nvidia to sell advanced AI chips in China, arguing that restricting exports could ultimately benefit Chinese competitors. His lobbying efforts have coincided with several policy developments favourable to the company.The Trump administration backed away from plans to impose additional restrictions on certain Nvidia chip exports to China in April 2025. In December, Trump announced that Nvidia would be allowed to sell its H200 processors to Chinese customers under an arrangement requiring 25% of sales revenue to go to the US government.New York Post claimed that there were at least three documented meetings between Trump and Huang where the administration responded with policy changes that made it easier for Nvidia to sell advanced chips to China.On Monday, Trump said he called to check on Huang after he admitted cheating on his wife and apologized to his family.“I did speak to him today just to see if he’s feeling all right,” Trump said at the White House. “He said he had absolutely no idea that the person in question was a spy. I asked him that question. Did you have any idea that she was a spy? He said I had no idea that she was a spy, and I really believe him.”
