The Financial Times reported that a company allegedly linked to a woman reported to have been involved in an affair with NVIDIA's CEO is the subject of successive reports alleging suspected semiconductor smuggling, and that its addition to the US export control list was delayed by 2 months.
The Financial Times reported that NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based semiconductor-related company メガスピード, were reported to be involved in an affair, and that メガスピード is suspected of purchasing approximately ¥760 billion worth of NVIDIA semiconductors and smuggling them into China. Alice Huang is said to have previously worked as a journalist for China Central Television, and speculation has emerged over whether she may be a spy. CEO Huang explained, “I did not know she was a spy.”
The paper also reported that the US Department of Commerce had delayed by 2 months, from its original schedule, the addition of the company to the blacklist barring exports of advanced technology to companies posing national security risks. As questions have arisen in Japan and overseas over the department's response, the delay in listing the company has been reported as a follow-up development.