The key facts

  • Anwar Ibrahim: 'no signs' of chip re-export from Malaysia; no official requests from Singapore or the US received
  • MITI: no permits were issued to Megaspeed International and Speedmatrix; since July 2025, re-export of US AI chips requires a permit
  • Singapore earlier found evidence against Alice Huan insufficient but barred her entry; Beijing rejected the espionage allegations

Kuala Lumpur's statement

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday that there are 'no signs' of chip re-export from the country amid the scandal surrounding Nvidia, which cost the head of the American chipmaker his post. According to him, Malaysia 'has not received any official requests' from Singapore or the US on matters related to the Singapore-based company Megaspeed International and Nvidia.

The trade ministry's position

Malaysia's Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) said the same day that it 'has never issued permits' to Megaspeed International Pte Ltd or its Malaysian affiliate Speedmatrix Sdn Bhd. Speedmatrix is a tenant of data centers in Malaysia and, as the ministry explained, imports its own servers and AI chips for its operations — importing AI chips into the country currently does not require a permit or license. At the same time, since July 2025, anyone intending to export, re-export, transit or carry high-performance American AI chips out of Malaysia or through it must first obtain a MITI permit under the Strategic Trade Act 2010. The ministry added that, together with the customs service, it is determining whether the imported chips were taken out to other countries and whether the law was observed in doing so.

Context of the Nvidia scandal

Kuala Lumpur's statements followed publications by American media citing unnamed sources in the US claiming that former Nvidia head Jensen Huang had a relationship with Chinese national Alice Huan, suspected of spying for Beijing. Jensen and Alice are not relatives; Alice Huan is a former top manager of Megaspeed, a Singapore technology company she herself founded. On Thursday, Megaspeed said it welcomes scrutiny from the US government and is ready to cooperate with the authorities, emphasizing that it takes its obligations to comply with American export legislation 'extremely seriously.' Beijing rejected the espionage allegations, calling them a 'pretext' for technological blockades against China. Meanwhile, according to the American TV channel CNN, the US intelligence community is 'not sure' whether Alice Huan engaged in espionage against Nvidia on behalf of China.

Singapore's actions and Huang's departure

A day before Malaysia's statements, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs said the evidence was insufficient to establish that Megaspeed executive director Alice Huan committed offenses related to possibly inaccurate declarations under which the company is being investigated. Nevertheless, the Singapore police, which assessed that she had knowingly provided inaccurate information, barred Alice Huan — a Hong Kong resident — from re-entering the country. Jensen Huang himself, who had led Nvidia since 1993, left the company's top positions and apologized to his family and the company for extramarital affairs.