Jensen Huang scandal exposes Singapore's dual role as chip hub and illicit trade gateway

Nvidia founder Jensen Huang resigned Thursday after admitting an affair with Alice Huang, a Singapore-based data centre executive suspected of funneling advanced chips to China, exposing tensions in Singapore's role as a global semiconductor hub. Singapore, Nvidia's second-largest billing centre last year, accounts for nearly 20% of its revenue, though less than 1% of chips physically enter the island. Authorities have charged four companies and five individuals over alleged fraud linked to chip exports, but investigations into Megaspeed have yielded no charges. The case highlights "Singapore-washing," where Chinese firms use the city-state's clean image to obscure origins. Analysts say Singapore's neutrality between the US and China is increasingly fraught, though experts note this is the price of an open economy caught in geopolitical rivalry.