Business · Companies

Nvidia’s Jensen Huang Quits After Affair; Singapore Chip Hub Under Fire

Nvidia founder Jensen Huang stepped down on Thursday after admitting an affair with Alice Huang, who ran Megaspeed, a major Nvidia customer. The case has put Singapore's role as a chip trading hub, and its export-control record, under scrutiny.

By matthew jonathan

November 14, 20263 min read

Nvidia's Jensen Huang Quits After Affair; Singapore Chip Hub Under Fire — Nvidia’s Jensen Huang Quits After Affair; Singapore Chip Hub Under Fire

Nvidia founder Jensen Huang stepped down from the US chip giant on Thursday after admitting he had an affair, in a scandal that has pulled Singapore's role as a global chip hub into the spotlight. He was reportedly involved with Alice Huang, who ran Singaporean data centre company Megaspeed, a major buyer of Nvidia's chips.

The nvidia jensen huang scandal reaches beyond one executive. Megaspeed is suspected of giving Chinese companies backdoor access to restricted chips.

Singapore's place in Nvidia's sales

Singapore was the second-largest billing centre globally for Nvidia last year, accounting for nearly a fifth of what the company earns. Yet less than 1% of that revenue was for chips that actually entered Singapore. The island acts as a hub where Asian companies place orders that are then shipped elsewhere.

Since 2022, the US has barred advanced American semiconductors from being exported to China or acquired by Chinese companies. US officials have worried that third countries such as Singapore could become a route around the rules.

What Megaspeed is suspected of

Megaspeed became the biggest buyer of Nvidia's chips in South East Asia. It is suspected of giving Chinese companies backdoor access to those chips through its data centres in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

Singapore does not prohibit moving advanced AI chips to companies abroad, but such transfers can breach US export controls. The government has said it does not enforce "unilateral export controls imposed by other countries" but expects all companies in its jurisdiction to respect them.

In 2024, US officials visited a Malaysian data centre owned by Megaspeed and saw Nvidia technology still in its boxes, according to a New York Times report. Last year, Megaspeed appeared to have imported 50,000 more chips than Nvidia could account for, according to a Bloomberg report.

Singapore's investigation

In a statement on Thursday, the Singapore government said it had been examining since February 2025 whether Megaspeed and other firms made false declarations about data servers bought and exported through the country. The companies said the equipment would end up in neighboring Malaysia. Singapore authorities suspect the final destinations were elsewhere.

Singapore said it asked US authorities several times for more information from Supermicro, a US-based company the BBC understands supplied computer servers to Megaspeed. "Despite these repeated requests, Singapore has to date received limited information or assistance," the statement said. The BBC has sought comment from the US State Department.

Authorities also investigated Alice Huang, not for espionage but for any possible role in Megaspeed's suspected fraud. They found "insufficient evidence" of crime and let her leave Singapore in February this year, after holding her passport for several months.

Earlier cases and current status

The city-state has had some success in policing chip diversion. It has charged four companies and five individuals, including Chinese nationals, for offences including fraud. That followed US concerns that Chinese AI company DeepSeek had been buying Nvidia chips from third parties in Singapore and elsewhere.

Nearly two years after launching its Megaspeed probe, Singapore has brought no charges against the company or any linked individuals. Singapore and US investigations into Megaspeed are still ongoing.