China denies spy operation targeted Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang

China has denied allegations of a spy operation targeting Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, the BBC reports. The denial follows a New York Times report that US intelligence officials believe a Chinese businesswoman was gathering information on the chip company for Beijing.

Nvidia has also pushed back. The Hill reports the company said the chip diversion allegations were "thoroughly investigated and debunked last year." CNBC reports Nvidia disputed the Times account that US agencies surveilled a person close to Huang over concerns she was a Chinese spy.

The Times, citing unnamed sources, reported that US spy agencies found Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed, passed information to Beijing. The Guardian, summarizing the Times, says she is also known as Huang Le and is not related to the Nvidia CEO. She had done business with him.

According to the Guardian, she was first suspected of smuggling Nvidia chips to China, which led US officials to monitor her. They then concluded she was a Chinese intelligence asset passing commercial information to Beijing.

The Times also reported that President Trump was briefed on the findings and took no action. Ars Technica, summarizing the Times, says she is accused of exploiting Trump's ties to Huang.