Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of healthcare, has emerged in the spotlight following fresh allegations about her reported relationship with the chipmaker's CEO, Jensen Huang. The 48-year-old executive, who has spent more than 18 years at Nvidia, is at the centre of a controversy now.
Who is Kimberly Powell? Nvidia VP's career and alleged relationship with Jensen Huang
Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of healthcare, has emerged in the spotlight following fresh allegations about her reported relationship with the chipmaker's CEO, Jensen Huang. The 48-year-old executive, who has spent more than 18 years at Nvidia, is at the centre of a controversy that has raised questions about workplace relationships, corporate governance and the company's leadership.
According to a report by The New York Times, citing five people who worked at Nvidia, Powell and Huang, 63, allegedly had an extramarital relationship. Both executives are married to other people. The report said the two were seen behaving affectionately at a hotel in San Jose, California, during Nvidia's annual developer conference in March 2026.
Two sources reportedly told the newspaper that the interaction was captured on video. However, The New York Times clarified that it had not seen the footage.
Huang declined to discuss his relationship with Powell when contacted by the newspaper. Nvidia declined to comment, while Powell did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The allegations have not been independently established.
Who is Kimberly Powell?
Powell is a senior Nvidia executive responsible for overseeing the company's worldwide healthcare business. She joined the technology giant as a director in 2008 and initially worked on promoting the use of Nvidia's artificial intelligence chips in medical imaging.
Before joining Nvidia, she worked as an engineer and later in product development at an electronics startup. She approached Nvidia to discuss its computing chips, and the company subsequently recognised their potential applications in healthcare.
In an episode of the Lifers podcast published in August, Powell described the opportunity to join Nvidia as a "dream come true".
Her career at the company progressed steadily. According to her LinkedIn profile, she was promoted to senior director in 2016, leading a business development team focused on artificial intelligence. By late 2017, she had become Nvidia's vice president of healthcare.
Today, Powell oversees the hardware and software platforms powering Nvidia's healthcare operations, including medical imaging, life sciences, drug discovery and healthcare analytics. Her work involves applying accelerated computing, AI and visualisation technologies to healthcare research and innovation.
"I pretty much live and breathe healthcare. So I'm talking about it all the time," Powell told Business Insider in 2025.
What did the report reveal about Powell and Jensen Huang?
One aspect that has drawn particular attention is the professional relationship between the two executives. Powell reportedly works directly under Huang, making the allegations especially sensitive from a corporate governance perspective.
According to the five people cited by The New York Times, the alleged relationship had been a subject of discussion within Nvidia. Two sources also claimed that a video showed the executives being affectionate at the San Jose hotel. The newspaper, however, said it had not independently viewed the footage.
Neither Powell nor Huang has publicly confirmed the reported relationship.
Why has the controversy raised questions about Nvidia?
Nvidia's code of conduct asks employees to avoid situations in which their actions create conflicts of interest, including personal relationships. The company also states that it promptly investigates reports of misconduct.
The allegations have emerged amid another controversy involving Huang's personal life. On November 8, the Nvidia CEO acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife, Lori Huang, and apologised to his family in a message to employees.
That admission followed separate reports involving Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman suspected by US authorities of having links to Chinese intelligence. The allegations involving Alice Huang are separate from the claims concerning Kimberly Powell.
Nvidia's board has initiated an independent investigation into whether its CEO was targeted in a foreign intelligence operation. The company has said it has no reason to believe its confidential information or US national security secrets were compromised.
The latest allegations involving Powell have added another layer of scrutiny to the technology giant's leadership, particularly because she is a senior executive who reports directly to its chief executive.
Also Read: Nvidia Shares Drop as Board Weighs Removing CEO Jensen Huang Amid Scandal
