What we know about Megaspeed and its founder Alice Huang, behind the fall of the Nvidia boss

Megaspeed is at the center of a US national security investigation into its role in facilitating billions of dollars of restricted Nvidia chips to China. This company, which presents itself as an Nvidia cloud partner in the Asia-Pacific region and offers access to the Nvidia GB200 NVL72 and HGX H100 systems, is now being scrutinized for its alleged links with Chinese companies and the possible violation of American export controls.

According to The Information, her relationship with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang helped facilitate at least $7.5 billion in shipments of Nvidia chips to Chinese companies, according to two people who know her cited by the publication. CNBC was unable to independently verify this report.

Alice Huang, former chief executive of Megaspeed, reportedly returned to Beijing amid the growing scandal. Alice Huang, also known by her Chinese name Huang Le, was identified in U.S. intelligence as having been recruited by China's Ministry of State Security to gather information on Jensen Huang, according to people briefed on the intelligence cited by the New York Times.

Megaspeed lists Singapore as its main office location and is linked to a network of subsidiaries and facilities across Southeast Asia. Founded in 2015 as 7Road International, the company says it operates in Singapore and Indonesia. It is 100% owned by Swiftdata, a Singaporean entity incorporated in October 2023. Megaspeed's director was Singaporean citizen Tan Yong Pong, according to corporate documents.

Alice Huang served as chief executive for eight months in 2023. Company filings show she received one Megaspeed share for S$1 on the day she left as chief executive.

Rapid growth and regional network

The company's assets grew to about $3 billion in 2024, from just $33 million a year earlier, and just $75 in 2022. Revenue rose to $294 million in 2024 from zero in 2023, according to the documents, while the company posted a loss of about $20 million.

Speedmatrix, a Malaysian entity linked to Megaspeed, purchased at least $4.8 billion worth of advanced AI equipment, including systems containing Nvidia chips, between June 2024 and February 2026, according to trade records cited by the Times.

In Malaysia, Speedmatrix reported a loss of 103.2 million ringgit ($25 million) on revenue of 522.3 million ringgit in 2024, according to The Edge Malaysia. Another entity, MSFusion, agreed in August 2025 to buy a 52.5-acre industrial land in Kota Tinggi for 263.2 million ringgit. It then settled 225.9 million ringgit in late payments in September after receiving a notice of default from seller Crescendo Corp.

Singapore police opened an investigation into Megaspeed in October 2025 for suspected violations of national law. However, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs said: "There have been no investigations into Alice Huang."

Megaspeed has denied illegally transferring chips to China. In a December 2025 statement, it claimed it had undergone several on-site inspections and reviews by the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, Malaysia's Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, and Nvidia, and that these reviews found no evidence of violations. “We operate fully within the bounds of all applicable export control regulations and maintain the highest standards of legal and ethical conduct,” Megaspeed said.

In Malaysia, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Johari Abdul Ghani reportedly said on Tuesday that his ministry had not received evidence that Speedmatrix had broken Malaysian law and had not opened an investigation into the company. He pledged that the country would not become "a conduit to circumvent export controls", adding that authorities would act if they received credible evidence or a formal request from a foreign authority.

A US trade official found unopened boxes of Nvidia chips during a 2025 visit to a data center operated by Speedmatrix, sparking suspicions of illegal re-export to China, according to the NYT. The report said officials did not have conclusive evidence that the chips were being diverted at that time.

Presence in Indonesia and American controls

Megaspeed's presence also extends to Indonesia, although little information is publicly known about the entity. Customs data through June 2026 shows 242 transactions involving three suppliers and four buyers for a Jakarta-based company. The records include an import described as "NVIDIA GPU H100 SINGLE MODULE", an Nvidia H100 graphics processing unit used for artificial intelligence training and high-performance computing.

The H100 has been subject to U.S. export licensing requirements for China since August 2022, when Washington imposed new controls covering Nvidia A100 and H100 chips and systems containing them.

Machine-translated from French