Singaporean authorities seized the passport of then-Megaspeed chief executive Alice Huang in June 2025 and held it for eight months, preventing her departure while trying to engage the U.S. government to support their investigation into advanced
.One source with knowledge of the matter told CBS News on Friday the Singaporean government received no meaningful help from Washington during the time she was in the Asian city-state.
asserted
she → seize → state
This source said officials in Washington were "not forthcoming" in response to Singapore's requests for help, and no substantive assistance has been provided to date.
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assistance → say → date
Singapore's government confirmed in a statement this week that it reached out to both the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI for assistance with its investigation.
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it → confirm → investigation
Alice Huang
at the center of the extramarital affair scandal that from the helm of the global tech giant he built over three decades.
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he → at → decades
Since February 2025, Singaporean authorities have been investigating whether Alice Huang and Megaspeed worked with California-based Supermicro to ship the Silicon Valley firm's computer servers — equipped with advanced Nvidia chips — to China, the source told CBS News.
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source → investigate → News
Alice Huang flew into Singapore in June 2025 for a voluntary interview with Singapore-based investigators from the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security, according to the source.
uncertain
Huang → fly → source
The agency sits within the U.S. Department of Commerce and regulates the export of sensitive products on national security and economic grounds.
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agency → sit → grounds
The American authorities requested the interview, according to a Thursday statement by Singapore's Home Affairs Ministry, as part of a post-shipment verification check, a process used to determine whether imported products have reached their declared recipient.
uncertain
products → request → recipient
Singaporean police also interviewed Huang on the same day as the U.S. officials, and made the decision to impound her passport.
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police → interview → passport
The source said it was not known where Huang, a Chinese national, arrived in Singapore from in June 2025.
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Huang → say → June
By February 2026, however, the Singapore Police Force had not charged Huang with any crime and had no option but to return her passport, the source told CBS News.
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source → charge → News
She was barred from ever returning to Singapore, as authorities assessed that she had given "inaccurate information" to downplay her role at Megaspeed, as noted in the statement from the home ministry.
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she → bar → ministry
That statement was released four days after Jensen Huang admitted to having an affair with a woman whom sources confirmed to CBS News was Alice Huang.
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sources → release → News
Singapore's investigation has focused on whether the then-Megaspeed CEO may have broken domestic law by lying about the details of purchases of computer servers from Supermicro, a San Jose-based technology company.
uncertain
CEO → focus → Supermicro
The company's servers use Nvidia's advanced chips to run artificial intelligence software, data centers and cloud computing.
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servers → use → software
"The suspected domestic offenses pertained to potential false declarations in relation to the purchase of servers and other related offenses," Singapore's home affairs ministry said in its statement this week.
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ministry → suspect → statement
Singaporean investigators have tried to determine the true ultimate destination of the Supermicro servers ordered by Megaspeed.
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investigators → try → Megaspeed
A second source familiar with the investigation told CBS News it is believed they may have been sent to Malaysia, but Singaporean investigators suspect "some or all" of them may then have been shipped onward to China.
uncertain
some → tell → China
Megaspeed has denied any wrongdoing.
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Megaspeed → deny → wrongdoing
Singapore's home ministry attempted to contact Supermicro, but the U.S. company only "provided limited cooperation," according to the home ministry statement.
uncertain
company → attempt → statement
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Malaysia kept Nvidia's chips and installed them in its own data centers, but then rented use of those centers to China, rather than physically shipping any chips to China.
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Malaysia → report → China
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Friday that there was "no indication" any chips linked to the Nvidia-Megaspeed issue had been re-exported out of the country.
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chips → say → country
Beijing has dismissed the claims that Alice Huang is a Chinese spy as "groundless speculation" and "nothing more than an attempt to smear China."
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Huang → dismiss → China
Asked Thursday about a Bloomberg report that she had returned to China, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters: "I do not have information on what you mentioned."
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you → ask → what
Since 2022, the U.S. has restricted the export of Nvidia's most powerful chips to China over national security concerns as the world's two biggest economies
.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," according to the home affairs ministry's Thursday statement.
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servers → restrict → statement
The second source confirmed to CBS News that Washington did not meaningfully engage with the requests for help on the investigation and said it "would be useful to know" what Supermicro declared about its exports to fulfill orders by Megaspeed, whether those products were registered as being bound for Malaysia, and whether some or all of those products were actually "bound for somewhere else," such as China.
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some → confirm → China
The Singapore home ministry said in its statement that six other individuals linked to Megaspeed, in addition to Alice Huang, are wanted for questioning, but none have been in the country since the government launched its investigation in February 2025.
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government → say → February
"One is a Singaporean citizen and the rest are foreigners," said the first person familiar with the case.
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person → say → case
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.
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Singapore → charge → Friday
The case was launched at the same time as the probe into Alice Huang and Megaspeed, the first source told CBS News, but it is separate.
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it → launch → News
"Singapore is committed to upholding our reputation as a trusted and reliable business hub.
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Singapore → commit → hub
We will not allow companies or individuals to misuse Singapore's business environment to engage in fraud or dishonest practices," the home ministry said in its statement, adding that it would "conduct its own investigations independently, in accordance with our laws and based on the evidence available.
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it → allow → evidence
We will cooperate with foreign authorities where appropriate, and take firm enforcement action wherever the evidence warrants it."
asserted
evidence → cooperate → it
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