Nvidia AI Chips Allegedly Shipped To Malaysia After Passing Through Singapore
The case is still under investigation by both countries.
Singapore's Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said servers embedded with Nvidia's artificial intelligence (AI) chips are suspected to have been shipped to Malaysia after passing through Singapore
He explained that the AI-powered servers — computers or systems that provide resources to other computers, or clients, over a network — were supplied by Dell Technologies and Super Micro Computer to Singapore-based companies before they were sent to Malaysia, reported CNA.
"The question is whether Malaysia was a final destination or from Malaysia, it went to somewhere else, which we do not know for certain at this point.
"But we assessed that there may have been false representation on the final destination of the servers," said the minister.
Shanmugam, however, did not directly link the case directly to DeepSeek or any Chinese buyer, as the investigation is still ongoing, reported Bloomberg.
Nvidia's AI chips are subject to US export restrictions
The Singaporean government has linked the AI-powered servers to a fraud case, and three men were charged last week in connection with the alleged movement of Nvidia chips after local authorities raided 22 locations.
The ongoing investigation shines a spotlight on Singapore-based entities' role in channeling Nvidia chips to China and potentially other countries despite the US export restriction.
Responding to the issue, the Investment, Trade, and Industry Ministry (MITI) said it is currently investigating the claim before issuing a statement, reported The Star.