Image source: Reuters
MegaSpeed said that Alice Huang, who is suspected of spying for China and whose name is linked to Jensen Huang, the former president of Nvidia, left her executive position at the company in August last year.
Jensen Huang resigned from his position as CEO of Nvidia, the giant in the artificial intelligence chip industry, after allegations were revealed that he had romantic relationships with Alice Huang, along with one of the company's female employees.
MegaSpeed is the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, and the scandal that occurred at Nvidia has raised questions about the possibility of advanced artificial intelligence chips reaching China despite US restrictions on exports.
The Singapore-based company announced on Sunday that it had begun an internal investigation into its business.
The company said it was aware of reports that “contain allegations about its business, supply chain and global operations that are not based on verifiable evidence.”
It added that it "conducts legitimate and legal business" and that it has hired legal advisors from outside the company to conduct a comprehensive internal investigation.
In a related context, US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent, on Friday, held the Department of Commerce, led by his colleague in the administration of President Donald Trump, Howard Lutnick, responsible for the failure to monitor the export of advanced electronic chips.
Besant told CNBC that several agencies "have been in favor of putting MegaSpeed on the Entity List for months...but the Department of Commerce is calling the shots...and you'll have to ask them about their internal procedures."
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The so-called “Entity List” imposes restrictions on US business dealings with companies and individuals outside the United States.
Lutnick is scheduled to appear before the Senate Banking Committee next month to testify about his department's role in allowing Nvidia to export its advanced chips.
Other congressional committees have asked Lutnick and his administration to preserve all records related to Nvidia and Jensen Huang.
MegaSpeed is suspected of giving Chinese companies indirect access to Nvidia chips through its data centers in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
Nvidia is banned from selling its advanced chips to China.
While Singapore has no ban on the transfer of advanced AI chips to companies abroad, such operations could constitute a violation of US export controls.
Singapore said that, while it does not implement “unilateral export controls imposed by other countries,” it expects all companies operating within its jurisdiction to abide by these rules.
MegaSpeed announced that it “designs and maintains its global operational and supply chain control frameworks in compliance with all applicable laws and regulatory systems.” This includes “US export control requirements and local jurisdiction rules in each market in which it operates,” she added.
China has denied that Alice Huang is a spy and has warned the United States against using the scandal as an excuse to impose a technological blockade on artificial intelligence technology.
We used artificial intelligence to help translate this article, which was originally written in English. This translation was reviewed by a BBC journalist before publication. More about how we use AI.
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