Pressure mounts at Nvidia as CEO Jensen Huang’s fate hangs in balance

Résumé détaillé

Company confronting nervous markets as it weighs CEO’s future over reports he had affairs with an alleged Chinese spy and a company executive

Nvidia Corp. was under growing pressure late Wednesday to remove chief executive Jensen Huang after reports that he had two affairs, one with an executive reporting to him and another with an alleged Chinese spy.

The semiconductor giant is now confronting nervous markets, geopolitical intrigue and concerns about the fallout for the entire artificial intelligence industry.

On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Nvidia’s board was meeting and preparing to oust the company’s founder and public face.

The company supplies most of the chips and hundreds of billions of dollars driving the current AI boom. Mr. Huang, 63, is one of the technology industry’s most recognizable and powerful figures, and a leader who has helped define today’s AI sector. His exit would leave a vacuum at the top of the industry.

Nvidia’s directors had launched an independent investigation into Mr. Huang on Sunday, after claims that he had been the subject of a foreign intelligence effort. The same day, the chief executive acknowledged he had been unfaithful in his marriage. The other person involved in the extramarital affair has been identified as Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed International, a provider of AI infrastructure.

The U.S. Commerce Department had been investigating whether Megaspeed helped circumvent export controls by moving Nvidia’s specialized AI chips to China. Megaspeed has said it follows the law and denied any illicit hardware transfers. A Trump administration memo had also identified Ms. Huang as an asset of Beijing’s security ministry, The New York Times reported. China has denied any such spying.

On Wednesday, The Times also reported that Mr. Huang had an extramarital relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice-president of health care.

The Globe and Mail has not independently verified the reports. Nvidia did not immediately respond to The Globe’s request for comment.

Nvidia’s shares have whipsawed this week after Mr.

Début de l'article, extrait de The Globe and Mail (Report on Business). Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.