Jack Paul 
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is facing a second round of affair allegations, this time involving a senior executive inside the chipmaker. People who have worked at Nvidia told The New York Times that Huang had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, who runs the company’s health care business. Both are married to other people. The report adds to scrutiny already around Huang’s ties to a Chinese woman identified by U.S. intelligence officials as an asset. China denies espionage claims.
Hotel encounter and a reported recording
The most sensitive claim centers on Nvidia’s GTC developer conference in San Jose. Two Nvidia employees quoted by the newspaper said Huang and Powell interacted affectionately at a hotel where executives meet. The Times said it did not see the reported video. Three people familiar with the incident said someone in the crowd recorded the two on a phone. Huang’s security team reportedly noticed, took the person aside and made an offer aimed at stopping disclosure. It is not known whether the offer was put in writing or what happened to the recording.
Policy questions and Powell’s role
Powell’s role at Nvidia is not minor. She joined in 2008 and was named senior director for business development in artificial intelligence in 2016. In late 2017 she became vice president of health care. She works on linking Nvidia technology with universities and medical research, including diagnostic imaging, and represents the company at industry conferences. At GTC, she gave a presentation on AI in biology and medicine and showed Huang in cartoon form. Nvidia’s code of conduct asks employees to avoid situations where their actions create conflict and lists personal relationships among the issues. The policy says Nvidia promptly investigates reports of misconduct. Many companies also bar romantic relationships between supervisors and subordinates. It is unclear whether Nvidia’s board is investigating the Powell allegations.
China controversy reaches Congress
The separate China matter is also pressing. The article says Huang had an affair with Alice Huang, a Chinese executive U.S. officials classified as a Chinese spy. After Huang confessed to that affair, Nvidia’s board had the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz conduct an investigation, according to the report. Republican chairmen of three influential House committees have asked for a private meeting with Jensen over his communications with Alice. Nvidia makes chips used in major AI applications, so the questions go beyond gossip. When a reporter called Jensen on Wednesday about Kimberly, he did not answer. He reportedly told the reporter not to talk to him directly and ended the call.