Singapore, US commit to continue discussions on Megaspeed case
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Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs had said in a Nov 12 statement that the US had provided little help in its investigation into Megaspeed.
PHOTO: AFP
- Singapore and the US discussed the Megaspeed case in Washington DC. Both sides said they will keep talking, but gave no details on the facts or next steps.
- Singapore’s MHA said the US gave little help in its probe into Megaspeed and former executive Alice Huang. The company is under investigation over possible false server purchase claims and other offences.
- The US said it wants close work with Singapore as it prepares for the ASEAN chairmanship in 2027. Talks also covered shared digital and technology goals and wider US-ASEAN ties.
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PHILADELPHIA – Singapore and the US have discussed the Megaspeed case at a senior-level meeting in Washington, DC, with both countries committing to continue discussions on the matter.
The exchange took place during Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information (MDDI) Josephine Teo’s Nov 12 to 13 visit to Washington, DC, in the course of which she met key US government officials, including Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Michael Kratsios and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.
“Minister Teo and Deputy Secretary Landau discussed the facts of the case and reaffirmed the commitment by both countries to continuing communications on issues of mutual interest, including on matters relating to Megaspeed,” a MDDI spokesperson told The Straits Times in response to a question.
The details of the facts reviewed or concerns raised and the next steps agreed to were not disclosed.
Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had said in a Nov 12 statement that the US had provided little help in its investigation into Megaspeed, an artificial-intelligence infrastructure company, and its former top executive Alice Huang.
The Singapore-based company, which reportedly bought high-end Nvidia chips worth billions of dollars, has been under investigation by the Singapore authorities since February 2025 over potentially false declarations relating to server purchases and other suspected offences.
Huang, its former director, is alleged to be a Chinese spy involved in an affair with Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, who resigned on Nov 12. Investigated by Singapore police and Customs as part of a larger probe into several companies, she was issued a stern warning and barred from re-entering the country.
Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo (centre) with John Goyer, (left) executive director of South-east Asia at the US Chamber of Commerce, and Ambassador Brian D. McFeeters, CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council, on Nov 13.
PHOTO: MDDI
In response to a query from ST about cooperation with Singapore on investigations being conducted by both countries, the State Department press office said it did not have anything to add on the matter.
ST also sent queries to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after MHA said it did not receive their help in Singapore investigations, especially in the case of Super Micro, the US-based server supplier that has an office in the city-state.
The company, a key Nvidia partner, is part of the larger Singapore probe into potential false declarations over the purchase of servers. It is also under scrutiny in the US.
The FBI did not respond to ST queries.
The DOJ referred ST to its March 16 press statement which announced the arrest of Super Micro’s co-founder Yih-Shyan “Wally” Liaw and two others for allegedly routing about US$2.5 billion (S$3.2 billion) in servers laced with Nvidia H200 and B200 graphics processing units to China through a South-east Asian front company. It declined to add anything further.
Neither Jensen Huang, Nvidia, nor Supermicro have been formally charged with any wrongdoing in the US.
In its statement issued after the meeting between Teo and Landau, the US State Department expressed the US desire to cooperate closely with Singapore as it prepares to assume the ASEAN chairmanship in 2027, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of US-ASEAN relations.
“They discussed how to advance shared digital and technology priorities through Singapore’s chairmanship,” said the press statement.
On Teo’s visit, which had a broader agenda, she also attended a roundtable convened by the US-ASEAN Business Council and US Chamber of Commerce. She will travel to San Francisco to speak at Semafor’s “Silicon Valley & The World”, the annual event which convenes other government and industry leaders.
