U.S. gave Singapore scant help with Alice Huang probe, source says
Singaporean authorities seized the passport of then-Megaspeed CEO Alice Huang in June 2025 and held it for eight months while investigating whether advanced Nvidia chips were shipped to China, but received little assistance from U.S. officials.
Singaporean authorities seized the passport of then-Megaspeed chief executive Alice Huang in June 2025 and held it for eight months while investigating whether advanced Nvidia chips were possibly being shipped to China. One source with knowledge of the matter told CBS News that Singaporean officials received no meaningful help from Washington during the investigation period.
The Singaporean government confirmed this week that it reached out to both the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI for assistance with its investigation. Alice Huang is the suspected Chinese spy at the center of the extramarital affair scandal that toppled Nvidia founder Jensen Huang from the helm of the global tech giant he built over three decades.
Investigation details
Since February 2025, Singaporean authorities have been investigating whether Alice Huang and Megaspeed worked with California-based Supermicro to ship computer servers equipped with advanced Nvidia chips to China. Huang flew into Singapore in June 2025 for a voluntary interview with Singapore-based investigators from the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security.
The agency, which regulates the export of sensitive products on national security and economic grounds, requested the interview as part of a post-shipment verification check. Singaporean police also interviewed Huang on the same day and decided to impound her passport.
Singapore is committed to upholding our reputation as a trusted and reliable business hub. We will not allow companies or individuals to misuse Singapore's business environment to engage in fraud or dishonest practices.
Limited U.S. cooperation
By February 2026, Singapore Police Force had not charged Huang with any crime and had to return her passport, barring her from ever returning to Singapore. Authorities assessed that she had given inaccurate information to downplay her role at Megaspeed.
The Singapore police first raised the issue with U.S. authorities in July 2025 to try to secure Supermicro's cooperation in revealing where its servers were ultimately ending up, repeating requests on several occasions to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
A second source familiar with the investigation told CBS News it is believed the servers may have been sent to Malaysia, but Singaporean investigators suspect some or all of them may then have been shipped onward to China. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Friday there was no indication any chips linked to the Nvidia-Megaspeed issue had been re-exported out of the country.
Broader implications
The probe comes amid U.S. restrictions on exporting Nvidia's most powerful chips to China since 2022, as the world's two biggest economies race for dominance in the AI sector. Beijing has dismissed the claims that Alice Huang is a Chinese spy as groundless speculation and nothing more than an attempt to smear China.
Singapore's home ministry stated that six other individuals linked to Megaspeed are wanted for questioning, but none have been in the country since the investigation began. The ministry also noted that Singapore has charged five other people in a wider fraud conspiracy case related to the suspected transfer of Nvidia chips, including one Chinese man charged on Friday.
The investigation continues as Singapore authorities seek to determine the true ultimate destination of the Supermicro servers ordered by Megaspeed and whether any U.S. technology was improperly transferred to China, potentially violating national security restrictions.
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