// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Nvidia hires major New York law firm to investigate Jensen Huang affair
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has become the face of the US AI boom.
Nvidia has hired New York law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to investigate the affair between its chief executive and an alleged Chinese spy.
Jensen Huang, a co-founder of Nvidia who has led it to become one of the most valuable companies in the world, admitted to having a romantic relationship with a woman outside of his marriage.
The woman, Alice Huang, is alleged to be a spy for Beijing. She was an executive at a Singaporean company Megaspeed, which has been a customer of Nvidia.
Nvidia said on Tuesday that Wachtell attorney Joon Kim was set to lead "a thorough and independent investigation" into Jensen Huang's affair. The FBI is also conducting its own probe.
Nvidia is widely considered one of the most important companies behind the US artificial intelligence (AI) boom given it is the sole manufacturer of a crucial computer chip required for successfully operating AI tools.
Shares in the company fell to a near-yearly low on Tuesday, wiping more than $500bn (£375bn) off Nvidia's stock market value since Friday, even as tech stocks have recovered since last week's sell-off.
Jensen Huang's relationship with an executive of an Nvidia customer, who is also believed by the US government to be spying for China, has business and national security implications.
Megaspped had been suspected of helping divert Nvidia chips to China, a concern that Nvidia has maintained was investigated and debunked.
According to the New York Times, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a memo to top officials in Washington in spring of this year warning that the Nvidia boss was in a close relationship with a Chinese spy.