Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang faces allegations of a second affair, this time with Kimberly Powell, the healthcare executive who reports directly to him, bringing the company’s rules on personal relationships and conflicts of interest into focus.

The allegations emerged on Wednesday, following earlier claims involving Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang. The New York Times reported that five Nvidia employees had described the alleged relationship with Powell. Huang, 63, is Nvidia’s founder; Powell, 48, has led its healthcare business since late 2017.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Nvidia’s board was preparing to convene an emergency meeting to discuss Huang’s future. That is a report of a planned discussion, not an announced decision to dismiss him. Powell also reportedly cancelled a scheduled appearance at a major healthcare conference organised by the Milken Institute in the United States.

The direct reporting relationship is the significant corporate distinction. Nvidia’s ethics policies prohibit conflicts of interest arising from personal relationships. If substantiated, the allegations would therefore concern the application of those rules within the company’s most senior leadership, rather than private conduct alone. They do not, by themselves, establish a policy breach.

The New York Times also described an incident at Nvidia’s annual GTC developers’ conference in San Jose last March. Huang and Powell were allegedly seen embracing in a manner the report characterised as intimate. When an attendee attempted to photograph them, Huang’s personal security guard reportedly took the individual aside and suggested signing a confidentiality agreement.

Contacted by telephone by the newspaper, Huang reportedly said: “I don't think you should be talking to me directly.” He then ended the call. Powell and Nvidia declined to comment officially.

Powell joined Nvidia in 2008, initially helping adapt its graphics processors for medical imaging. She now oversees healthcare hardware and software spanning artificial intelligence, imaging and biological research, working with pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and research institutions. She is married to Graham Jaride and has two daughters.

Her responsibilities explain why the allegations extend beyond the chief executive’s position: they involve the leader of a global business reporting directly to him. The unresolved questions are whether the alleged relationship occurred, whether any conflict breached company policy and what action, if any, the board will take.