Nvidia (NVDA) Sales in Singapore Rise to 22% Amid U.S. Export Controls

Singapore has become a major hub for Nvidia (NVDA) chip sales, with revenue linked to the country rising to 22% in the fiscal quarter ending July 2025 from 8% in 2023. The U.S. has imposed export restrictions on Nvidia's advanced AI chips to China since 2022, aiming to limit Beijing's AI development. Singapore's trade ministry estimated that chips physically delivered there accounted for less than 1% of Nvidia's revenue.

Singapore is under international scrutiny, especially from the U.S., for its role as a billing and transit hub where Nvidia chips might be diverted to China, bypassing restrictions. Investigations have been ongoing since February 2025 into companies including Megaspeed International, focusing on whether servers containing Nvidia chips were exported via Singapore to Malaysia and then rerouted elsewhere against declarations. The broader case involves alleged transactions totaling about $390 million.

Singapore has barred Alice Huang, linked to a scandal affecting Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang, from re-entering the country. Authorities have increased efforts to detect chip diversion, addressing possible enforcement gaps in export controls and corporate transparency. Experts highlight risks of Nvidia chips being legally sold to third countries like Singapore or Malaysia and then illicitly re-exported to China, or accessed remotely by Chinese companies using overseas data centers.

This matters because Singapore’s role as a chip transit hub could undermine U.S. efforts to enforce export controls, affecting Nvidia's supply chain and regulatory risks. The ongoing investigations and export policy enforcement measures are key to preventing unauthorized chip transfers to China, which directly impacts Nvidia's global market strategy and regulatory compliance.