Singapore authorities have seized a luxury mansion worth over $42 million (55 million Singapore dollars) as part of an investigation into the illegal transfer of artificial intelligence (AI) chips. The probe focuses on attempts to bypass US export controls that restrict advanced technology from reaching specific countries, particularly China.
The property belongs to Alan Wei, a Singaporean national who is under investigation alongside another Singaporean, Aaron Woon, and a Chinese national, Li Ming. Last year, the three individuals were charged with fraud for allegedly hiding the identity of the final buyers of servers supplied by US technology giants Dell and Super Micro Computer.
On Wednesday, prosecutors filed additional fraud charges against Woon, Li, and Jenny Lim, the chief financial officer of a company involved in the case. Police also plan to charge Wei with money laundering and other offenses next week. To prevent the sale of Wei's assets, authorities issued a "prohibition of disposal" order on his luxury home and froze several bank accounts.
According to Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs, the servers under investigation, which reportedly contained advanced Nvidia AI semiconductors, were originally shipped from Singapore to Malaysia. While their final destination remains unconfirmed, media reports suggest they were intended for China.
Last year, Bloomberg News reported that US officials were investigating whether the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek had used Singaporean intermediaries to acquire advanced Nvidia chips. The case highlights growing international concerns over chip smuggling in Southeast Asia. Just last week, Malaysian authorities stopped an attempt to smuggle 72 servers containing advanced AI chips, valued at nearly $13 million, through the country's main airport.