Jensen Huang Scandal Created a Headache for Singapore’s Chip Hub
Nvidia founder Jensen Huang stepped down after admitting an affair with the head of Singapore-based Megaspeed, a major buyer of its chips. Singapore says it probed the firm since February 2025 and got little help from US authorities.
The Jensen Huang scandal created a fresh spotlight on Singapore after the Nvidia founder stepped down from the US chip giant, admitting he had an affair. He was reportedly involved with Alice Huang, who ran Singaporean data centre company Megaspeed, a major buyer of Nvidia's chips.
The case has put the city-state's success as a global chip hub under scrutiny. It has also raised questions about Singapore as a location for alleged illicit trade.
Singapore's role 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 serves as a place where many Asian companies place orders and send the goods 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 countries such as Singapore could be used as a back door.
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 transferring advanced AI chips to companies abroad, but such moves can breach US export controls. The government says it does not enforce "unilateral export controls imposed by other countries". It expects all companies in its jurisdiction to respect them.
A stalled investigation
Singapore's government said in a statement that it has looked since February 2025 into 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 neighbouring Malaysia. Authorities suspect the final destinations were elsewhere.
Singapore said it asked US authorities several times for information from Supermicro, a US-based company reported to be supplying computer servers to Megaspeed. "Despite these repeated requests, Singapore has to date received limited information or assistance," the statement said.
Authorities also investigated Alice Huang, not for espionage but for any possible role in Megaspeed's suspected fraud. They found "insufficient evidence" of a crime and let her leave Singapore in February this year, after holding her passport for several months.
The city-state has had some success elsewhere. 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 other places.
In nearly two years of investigating, Singapore has brought no charges against Megaspeed or any linked companies or individuals. Singapore and US investigations into Megaspeed are still ongoing.
Reports say US officials visited a Malaysian data centre owned by Megaspeed in 2024 and saw Nvidia technology still in its boxes. Last year, Megaspeed also appeared to have imported 50,000 more chips than Nvidia could account for, according to a report.
