Asian governments assess fallout from Jensen Huang’s Nvidia exit

Nvidia’s board launched an independent investigation on Sunday, November 8, after reports that Huang had been targeted by a Chinese spy operation. Huang admitted to an affair with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based chip company Megaspeed. Nvidia’s extensive ties with Asian companies have made the leadership change a concern for governments and industry partners across the region.

China’s foreign ministry on November 10 rejected allegations that a Chinese businesswoman linked to Huang was a spy, calling them groundless and a smear against Beijing. A spokesperson later reiterated opposition to export controls that disrupt global supply chains and said the ministry was unaware of reports linking restricted Nvidia chips to a Shanghai data center associated with Alice Huang. Reuters’ review of procurement notices, investment plans and corporate disclosures found more than $3 billion in Chinese AI computing projects reliant on Nvidia processors restricted by U.S. export controls.

In Singapore, authorities seized Alice Huang’s passport in June 2025 during an investigation into possible false declarations about server purchases. The Ministry of Home Affairs said police wanted to ensure she remained available for questioning because she was not based in the country. The inquiry examined whether servers shipped from Singapore to Malaysia were later sent elsewhere without proper declarations. In February 2026, police found insufficient evidence to establish that she had committed related offenses, but authorities said she knowingly provided inaccurate information about her role at Megaspeed. She received a warning, was barred from re-entering Singapore and had her passport returned. The ministry said the investigation into Megaspeed and six other individuals remained ongoing, and that Singapore had received limited U.S. assistance despite repeated requests for information about server maker Supermicro.

South Korea’s Science Ministry said Nvidia reaffirmed its plan to supply 260,000 advanced GPUs and continue joint AI projects. The government’s AI strategy council also held an emergency meeting to consider the departure’s potential impact. Taiwan’s Economy Minister Kung Ming-shin said the change was unlikely to significantly alter global AI growth. Taipei said Nvidia’s planned overseas headquarters remained on track and that the company had met its contractual obligations so far. Japan’s Industry Ministry said it would closely monitor Nvidia. Deputy chief cabinet secretary Masanao Ozaki said it was too early to assess the broader impact, while emphasizing Japan’s commitment to a stable semiconductor supply.