Singaporean authorities have added additional charges against three men involved in a larger investigation into server fraud, which may involve AI chips. The charges are related to fraudulent activities committed against tech companies Dell and Super Micro. According to court documents, the men allegedly misrepresented the destinations of the servers they purchased, falsely claiming that the servers would not be transferred to unauthorized third parties.
The police charge sheets indicated that the defendants made false representations regarding the ultimate consignee of the items, suggesting that they would not be diverted. Investigations revealed that the servers may contain Nvidia chips, though authorities have not confirmed if these chips are subject to U.S. export controls.
This case is part of an ongoing investigation in Singapore, which involves 22 individuals and companies accused of making false representations. Additionally, the United States is investigating whether DeepSeek, a Chinese company behind a highly publicized AI model, has been using U.S. chips prohibited from being sold to China.
The investigation also covers Malaysia, where the servers allegedly ended up, and authorities there are exploring whether any local laws were violated. Singapore has so far charged two suspects, Aaron Woon, 41, and Alan Wei, 49, with conspiring to defraud Super Micro in 2024. Their charges have been amended to include fraud against Dell. A third suspect, Chinese national Li Ming, 51, was also charged with defrauding Super Micro in 2023.
Authorities seized 42 devices, including phones, computers, and laptops, which are being analyzed by forensic experts. The investigation is still in its early stages, with prosecutors seeking bank statements to trace the movement of funds and planning to work with international law enforcement.
