Nvidia's legal chief intervened in US probe of Singapore chip smuggling case

Nvidia's general counsel Tim Teter intervened in a US government investigation into suspected AI chip smuggling by Singapore-based Megaspeed International, raising questions about the chipmaker's influence over an inquiry into alleged breaches of US export restrictions on China. In late summer 2025, Teter called Commerce Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler to ask whether the Bureau of Industry and Security was involved in Singapore's detention of Megaspeed executive Alice Huang. Following the call, BIS employees investigating Megaspeed were instructed to route Nvidia-related requests through Kessler, and the investigation subsequently stalled. The probe centers on allegations that Megaspeed diverted Nvidia chips, with Malaysian trade records showing imports of 17,544 GB300 processors worth $787 million. Megaspeed denies the allegations, and despite the controversy, remains an official Nvidia Cloud Partner.