Singapore Got 'Limited' US Help in AI Chip Probe Tied to Nvidia Scandal

Singapore has received only "limited information or assistance" from US authorities in its investigation into AI chip deals, the city-state's home affairs ministry said, despite repeated requests to the Department of Justice and the FBI.

The disclosure sits at the center of a scandal that has already reshaped the top of one of the world's most valuable chip companies. Nvidia co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang resigned after reports of two extramarital affairs, one with Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman whom US authorities suspect of spying for Beijing. The 63-year-old executive's departure followed those reports; Singapore's account now fills in what its own investigators did, and what Washington did not do, next door.

How did Singapore first learn of the US interest?

The trigger came in June 2025, when the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) carried out a shipment verification check at Megaspeed, a Singapore-based cloud computing firm and Nvidia customer. Alice Huang, then the company's CEO, was present.

That check marked the first time Singapore learned of Washington's interest in Megaspeed and in Huang. Singaporean police interviewed her the same day and impounded her passport, the ministry said.

Singapore had already opened its own independent investigation in February 2025 into several companies, including Megaspeed, over potential false declarations in the purchase of servers and related offences. The espionage question played no part: the ministry stated plainly that its investigation "did not concern espionage."

Alice Huang was investigated "for suspected involvement in the possible offences in Singapore, given her position as then-CEO, Chairperson, and one of the key controllers of Megaspeed," the ministry said.

In short, Singapore's case was about trade declarations, not spying — a distinction that separates it from the US thread of the story.

Where does Super Micro fit in?

Singapore is also looking into US AI server maker Super Micro Computer, though the ministry did not say whether this inquiry connects to the Megaspeed case.

The context is loaded. In March, US prosecutors charged three people associated with Super Micro, including one of its co-founders, with helping smuggle billions of dollars of AI chips to China through Southeast Asia and Taiwan.

According to the ministry, Super Micro provided limited cooperation. That shortfall pushed Singapore to make repeated requests to the US Department of Justice and the FBI for help in securing the company's cooperation.

"Despite these repeated requests, Singapore has to date received limited information or assistance in respect of the company," the ministry said — a pointed signal that even close security partners are not automatically sharing case files on export-control enforcement.

What happened to Alice Huang?

Investigators examined whether she bought servers that were exported via Singapore to Malaysia without ever entering the Singapore market — a routing pattern that sits at the heart of the false-declaration concerns.

The outcome was mixed. The ministry said there was insufficient evidence to establish that she had committed any offence. But it also said she gave police "information, which she knew to be inaccurate" during the investigation and downplayed her role at Megaspeed.

She left Singapore in February, when authorities returned her passport, and she has been banned from re-entering the country. She could not be reached for comment. Bloomberg News, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that she now lives in Beijing with the knowledge of security officials.

On the espionage question, US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department has not yet reached a conclusion on whether Alice Huang was a Chinese spy.

What is still open?

Investigations into Megaspeed and six individuals are ongoing, the ministry said. Washington, according to media reports, has separately investigated Megaspeed over suspicions it helped China obtain advanced AI chips restricted under US export controls.

Megaspeed said it takes its compliance obligations under US export control laws "extremely seriously" and has cooperated with US inspections.

Singapore drew its own line in the sand. The city-state "will not allow companies or individuals to misuse Singapore's business environment to engage in fraud or dishonest practices," the ministry said, adding that it will cooperate with foreign authorities where appropriate.

For compliance and security teams, the takeaway is blunt: a passport seizure, a CEO's fall, criminal charges against a US server maker's co-founder — and still, allied agencies are struggling to share what they know.