Megaspeed hires U.S. law firm to audit its chip inventory
Megaspeed International said Thursday that it takes its obligation to comply with U.S. export control laws “extremely seriously,” issuing its first statement since Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted to an affair with a Chinese woman who was a former executive of the Singapore-headquartered data center company.
“Megaspeed is committed to working constructively and transparently with the U.S. government,” said the statement, signed by the company’s chairman and CEO, Tan Yong Pong, who also goes by James Tan.
The company said it has cooperated with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, which handles enforcement of national security restrictions on exports of technology, and was ready to “cooperate fully with any other relevant U.S. government authority.”
Megaspeed also said it has hired a U.S. law firm to handle a “comprehensive census” of its computer chips and to verify its export controls.
“Megaspeed welcomes appropriate government scrutiny and is committed to demonstrating through concrete actions that it operates responsibly, transparently, and in accordance with applicable U.S. laws,” the statement said.
Nvidia’s board of directors was reported to be meeting to discuss Huang’s situation, but there was no word early Thursday on any outcome from those discussions. The company has said it had “no reason to believe” that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, but that its inquiry would examine all available information.
Details about Huang’s affair with the woman are unclear. The New York Times reported she was Alice Huang, who also goes by the name Huang Le, and was a top executive at Megaspeed. The company prominently touts a partnership with Nvidia on its website.
Last month, the Times reported that U.S. intelligence agencies discovered that Nvidia’s Huang had developed a close relationship with Alice Huang — and determined she was feeding information directly to Beijing. On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the FBI was investigating.
Megaspeed faced claims last year that it was illicitly shipping advanced Nvidia computer chips into China, but in December said there was “no evidence” of such exports. Singapore has also said it is investigating such allegations.
China has denied that it engaged in an attempt to ensnare Huang, who heads one of the world’s most valuable companies. Nvidia has become a leader in making chips that power artificial intelligence. Huang has lobbied Washington to loosen limits on sales of Nvidia chips to China in recent years, winning Trump’s approval in January for selling its H200 chips.
Thursday’s statement marked the first public response from Megaspeed since the affair became public and since Trump said the FBI was investigating. The company did not address the specifics of the relationship in its statement, confining its comments to export compliance and its willingness to work with U.S. authorities.