Nvidia business partner Megaspeed denies ‘illegal transfer of AI chips’ to China amid espionage row

Singapore-based Megaspeed, which develops AI data centres across southeast Asia and describes itself as a business partner of Nvidia, has rejected allegations that it was involved in illegally transferring chips to China to bypass US export restrictions.This screengrab from video footage by CTI obtained via AFPTV on November 9, 2026 shows Alice Huang (R), a Chinese executive linked to the data centre company called Megaspeed, attending a dinner hosted by NVIDIA's chief executive and co-founder Jensen Huang. (AFP)The company is in focus after US intelligence officials told the Donald Trump administration that a Chinese businesswoman who reportedly worked at Megaspeed, Alice Huang, was targeting Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang as a spy, The New York Times reported.Alice worked as the managing director of Megaspeed between March and November 2023 before handing over the position to Tan Yong Pong, a Singaporean man, a report by BBC News said.In a message to company employees released on Sunday, Jensen acknowledged having an affair and apologised to his family and staff. "I was unfaithful to my wife," he said. "My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry."Why Megaspeed is in focusThe US has imposed export restrictions on Nvidia's most advanced AI chips to China, citing national security concerns and the need to maintain its lead in artificial intelligence.US authorities have been investigating Megaspeed since 2024 over concerns that it may have helped route Nvidia chips to China. The company has also reportedly faced scrutiny from Singaporean authorities, who questioned Alice Huang in 2025, The New York Times reported.Megaspeed's sister company in Malaysia purchased at least $4.8 billion worth of advanced AI equipment containing Nvidia chips and technology between June 2024 and February 2026, the report said citing trade records obtained from ImportGenius, a trade data platform. The scale of the purchases was unusual for a relatively small and little-known company.Bloomberg News had also reported last year that Singapore was investigating Megaspeed over the alleged smuggling of Nvidia chips to China. In December 2025, Megaspeed responded to the report, saying it "contains misleading information and incorrect insinuations, including suggestions that we may have been involved in illegal chip transfers".Megaspeed on ‘illegal chip transfer’ allegationsThe firm describes itself as "a core business partner of Nvidia's computing power cloud business in the Asia-Pacific region".According to its LinkedIn profile, the company operates out of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. It lists around two to 10 employees and 25 "associated members".The Singapore-based company issued a statement in response to a news report that raised questions about its operations. It said the report contained "misleading information and incorrect insinuations, including suggestions that we may have been involved in illegal chip transfers.""We want to be absolutely clear: over the past six months, our company has undergone multiple on-site inspections and reviews by key institutions, including the Bureau of Industry and Security of the US Commerce Department, the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry of Malaysia, and Nvidia," it said.Megaspeed said that the “thorough investigations have confirmed that there has been no evidence of any violations concerning the illicit transfer of chips or any illegal activities, and this demonstrates that we are a compliant and legitimate company.”The company also said it could take legal action to defend its reputation and hold the media outlet accountable for what it called the "misleading nature of the article".With inputs from agencies