Why Singapore keeps turning up in the fight over Nvidia chips and China

Singapore is facing renewed scrutiny over its role in Nvidia chip sales and possible routes to China, amid US efforts to restrict exports of advanced AI chips to Beijing. The issue returned to focus after Singapore barred businesswoman Alice Huang from re-entering the country and charged another person in a fraud investigation involving computer servers that may have contained Nvidia chips.

Authorities are investigating whether servers exported through Singapore to Malaysia were later redirected elsewhere, contrary to declarations made in Singapore. Prosecutors said the alleged transactions in the wider case totalled about $390 million; investigations into several firms and officials, including Megaspeed International, began in February 2025 and remain ongoing. Nvidia’s revenue linked to Singapore reached 22% in the quarter ending July 2025, compared with 8% in 2023, although Singapore estimated chips physically delivered there accounted for less than 1% of Nvidia’s revenue.