Nvidia Knew Early About Huang Le's Investigation; Legal Executive Directly Contacted U.S. Commerce Department, Investigation Subsequently Restricted

Beating AI News Flash: Nvidia learned as early as 2025 that Huang Le had been detained by Singapore police and proactively inquired with senior U.S. Department of Commerce officials about the situation. Weeks later, U.S. officials investigating chip smuggling allegations involving his affiliated company Megaspeed began facing strict restrictions. By the end of the year, the Commerce Department was ordered to halt the investigation.

In late summer 2025, Nvidia General Counsel Tim Teter directly called U.S. Deputy Commerce Secretary Jeffrey Kessler to ask whether the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which Kessler oversees, had been involved in Singapore police's detention of Huang Le. At the time, Huang Le had already been questioned by Singapore police and barred from leaving the country, and the U.S. Commerce Department was also investigating whether Megaspeed had illegally transshipped Nvidia AI chips.

Weeks after that call, BIS investigators received new requirements: any contact with Nvidia must first go through Kessler or obtain his approval. In external investigations, they were even prohibited from mentioning Megaspeed or its Malaysian subsidiary by name.

Teter later requested a direct meeting with investigators but was refused. He then invoked Kessler, their superior, claiming he had already obtained permission and did not understand why he was still being denied. Investigators, concerned that Nvidia was using high-level connections to influence the investigation, forwarded the email to Kessler. Kessler did not ask his subordinates to cooperate with Nvidia and simply replied: handle the case strictly according to regulations.

At the end of 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice asked the Commerce Department to stop the investigation and took over the criminal probe. People involved in the investigation revealed that BIS had already gathered sufficient evidence to continue, yet was forced to stop. Some officials considered this sudden transfer of the case highly unusual.

Nvidia responded that the company contacted the U.S. Commerce Department to provide information, understand regulatory requirements, and help prevent illegal chip transshipment. When legal chief Teter became involved in late summer 2025, he was unaware of the extramarital affair between Jensen Huang and Huang Le.