Nvidia customer Megaspeed says it cooperated with US inspections, takes export control laws seriously

By Xinghui Kok

SINGAPORE, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Singapore-based cloud computing firm Megaspeed said on Thursday that it takes compliance obligations under US export control laws "extremely seriously" and that it has cooperated with US inspections.

The company has been in the spotlight following reports that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had an affair with former Megaspeed executive Alice Huang, whom US authorities suspect of being a Chinese spy.

In a statement posted on its website, Megaspeed CEO and Chairman James Tan Yong Pong  said: "Compliance is a fundamental priority for the company, and Megaspeed is committed to working constructively and transparently with the US government."

Tan said Megaspeed cooperated with inspections by the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security and "stands ready to cooperate fully with any other relevant US government authority".

Megaspeed has retained an American law firm to lead a "comprehensive census" of its graphics processing units and independently verify its export control compliance practices, Tan added.

The US is looking into the $4 trillion chipmaker while Nvidia's board is discussing whether to oust Huang following reports of two extramarital affairs, one of which was with the alleged Chinese spy.

Last October, Singapore police said they were investigating Megaspeed over "suspected breaches of our domestic laws" after a US senator requested the Commerce Department ⁠investigate whether Megaspeed ​had diverted Nvidia chips. 

Singapore said last month that the firm was still under investigation.

Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang is a former executive at Megaspeed, a company with subsidiaries in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the US and Australia.

Jensen Huang said on Sunday he had been unfaithful to his wife, but gave no details about the relationship, while Beijing ​has called the spying claim "a groundless accusation, slander and a smear." Alice Huang could not be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Xinghui Kok; Editing by Sharon Singleton)