US intelligence memo says Megaspeed CEO was recruited to monitor Nvidia chief

China may have recruited an executive to monitor Nvidia’s CEO

Source: techcrunch.com

The New York Times first reported on the memo. The newspaper had previously reported that Jensen Huang was a target of Chinese intelligence. According to the outlet, the document was based on information from US intelligence. The Financial Times later reported that the memo also described a romantic relationship between the leaders of Nvidia and Megaspeed.

In a separate report, The New York Times examined the activities of Chinese company New Matrix. The US Department of Commerce had authorized it to buy advanced Nvidia chips. But at the address the company listed as its office, reporters found only “an empty gray shell.” This raised concerns that New Matrix could be a front for a private investment company that had been blacklisted.

An Nvidia spokesperson said the company sells “the first, best and biggest part” of its technology in the US.

Dataist’s take: Reports about the memo and New Matrix’s office point to suspicions around access to advanced chips and information from Nvidia. But the published material describes claims in an intelligence document and findings by journalists; it does not confirm that New Matrix is in fact a front.