Jensen Huang has resigned with immediate effect as chair and chief executive of Nvidia after allegations surrounding relationships linked to a suspected Chinese spy and a subordinate.
Huang became one of the best-known figures of the artificial intelligence boom as Nvidia delivered record results and grew into one of the world’s most valuable companies.
His departure follows controversy over an alleged affair with Alice Huang, whom US authorities suspect of spying for China. US media have also reported a second relationship involving a subordinate.
Nvidia said finance chief Colette Kress had been appointed interim chief executive. She will combine the roles of chief executive and chief financial officer.
Harvey C. Jones has been named chair of the board. The company said it had begun the search for a permanent successor and would consider both internal and external candidates.
Nvidia shares were already under pressure in pre-market trading on Thursday. After Huang’s resignation was confirmed, the stock fell by more than 13%.
Nvidia makes specialist computer chips used to train AI models and power data centres. Huang, whose fortune is estimated at €130 billion, became closely associated with the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and was known for his enthusiastic public presentations on the technology.
