Washington DC [US], November 12 : The board of American semiconductor giant Nvidia is reportedly considering the removal of its co-founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, following revelations of two alleged extramarital relationships, including one involving a businesswoman suspected by US intelligence of having links to Chinese intelligence services.
According to The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, Nvidia's board is preparing to meet as early as Thursday to discuss Huang's future at the company.
The reported developments come amid growing scrutiny of the 63-year-old executive following revelations about his personal relationships and their potential implications for the company.
The New York Times, meanwhile, reported that Huang had an extramarital relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of healthcare, who reports to him. Citing five people who worked at the company, The New York Times said that the relationship had not previously been reported.
According to The New York Times, Huang and Powell, 48, were captured on video behaving affectionately at a hotel in San Jose, California, during an Nvidia conference in March.
Powell joined Nvidia in 2008 and oversees programmes focused on applying the company's chip technology to higher education and healthcare, particularly medical imaging devices, according to the company's website.
The reported relationship has also raised questions about Nvidia's internal workplace policies, with the company's code of conduct asking employees to "avoid situations where our actions create conflict", including "personal relationships".
The company also states that it "promptly investigates reports of misconduct," The New York Times reported, noting that several corporations have policies restricting relationships between managers and their subordinates.
The latest revelations come after Huang faced scrutiny over another reported relationship with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman and executive associated with Singapore-based data company Megaspeed, a major Nvidia customer.
The US intelligence officials had identified the Chinese executive as an alleged Chinese intelligence asset.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the relationship with Alice Huang was the affair Huang acknowledged in a letter to Nvidia employees on Sunday, in which he admitted being unfaithful to his wife and apologised for violating their trust.
Following Huang's acknowledgement, Nvidia's board reportedly initiated an investigation into the matter, with the inquiry being led by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, according to The New York Times.
The Wall Street Journal further reported that the company's board was considering Huang's position in the wake of the revelations involving the two relationships, including the allegations surrounding the suspected Chinese intelligence connection.
Huang, who co-founded Nvidia in 1993, has transformed the company into a leading supplier of artificial intelligence chips and is widely recognised as one of the most prominent figures in the global AI industry.