Singapore probes Nvidia chip shipments to Malaysia as U.S. tightens export controls

Singapore is investigating whether servers from Dell Technologies Inc. and Super Micro Computer Inc. shipped to Malaysia contained Nvidia Corp. chips restricted under U.S. export controls, Law Minister K. Shanmugam said Monday.

The probe follows reports of arrests linked to the alleged procurement and shipment of these chips in violation of U.S. sanctions.

Authorities suspect that individuals misled server suppliers about the actual end-users of the hardware, which was shipped from Singapore to Malaysia. Investigators are now determining whether these servers were further exported to other restricted countries.

Singapore has requested additional information from Malaysia and the U.S. to track the final destination.

Preliminary findings indicate that the servers may contain Nvidia chips, potentially subjecting them to U.S. export restrictions. However, Shanmugam refrained from confirming their presence, emphasizing that the case is an independent fraud probe based on an anonymous tip rather than a direct U.S. request.

The case highlights Singapore-based entities’ role in channeling high-end semiconductors to China and other restricted regions. It also comes as the U.S. tightens global chip export curbs, with the Trump administration reviewing further restrictions.

U.S. officials are separately investigating whether Chinese AI startup DeepSeek acquired Nvidia chips through third-party suppliers in Singapore.

Dell and Super Micro were already under scrutiny for their role in distributing Nvidia-powered servers subject to U.S. sanctions. Nvidia had reportedly asked both firms to audit customers in Southeast Asia to verify possession of its servers.