Singapore Charges Fifth Suspect in AI Server Smuggling Fraud Case Involving NVIDIA Chips
Singapore charged a fifth suspect, Shi Bingzhe, with 41 offenses including money laundering in a fraud case over exports of servers suspected to contain NVIDIA chips and subject to US trade restrictions. Two companies where he was a director, Superphi and NJ Global, were also charged. Police allege they bought 917 servers from Aperia International in 41 transactions between May 2024 and February 2
Singapore has charged a fifth person in a fraud case linked to exports of computer hardware suspected of containing NVIDIA chips and subject to US trade restrictions.
Singapore police said in a statement that 34-year-old Shi Bingzhe was recently hit with 41 charges, including money laundering. The Singapore Police Force also separately charged two companies, Superphi Pte and NJ Global Financial Pte, where Shi had served as a director.
Authorities in Singapore and elsewhere in Southeast Asia are tightening scrutiny of shipments of advanced NVIDIA AI chips, which Washington suspects are being smuggled through the region to third-party countries/regions. The case has put Singapore and neighboring Malaysia under scrutiny over whether advanced AI hardware subject to US export controls is being transshipped through the region.
Police said that with Shi's consent, Singapore companies Superphi and NJ Global purchased a total of 917 servers from Aperia International through 41 transactions between May 2024 and February 2025. Police said the two companies had reasonable grounds to believe the servers constituted benefits derived from Aperia International's criminal conduct, including fraud by false representations.
Police said that if convicted, Shi faces up to 10 years' imprisonment, a fine of up to S$500,000 (US$388,550), or both, per charge. For each charge, Superphi and NJ Global can be fined up to S$1 million, or twice the benefit derived from the criminal conduct, whichever is higher.
Four companies linked to the case were charged in July with fraud by false representation: Aperia International, A-Speed Infotech, Aperia Cloud Services (II), and Luxuriate Your Life. Singapore police said at the time that the case involved false statements about the end users of servers purchased from Dell Technologies, Supermicro, and Asus.
Besides Shi, Singapore has charged four other individuals with offenses including fraud, money laundering, and fraudulent trading. Prosecutors said in March 2025 that the total value of transactions involved was about US$390 million.
When media visited NJ Global's office in Singapore, a representative declined to comment. Superphi's registered address has been occupied by another company, and calls went unanswered.
Singapore launched an independent investigation after receiving an anonymous tip and said it is checking for possible violations of local laws. Malaysia is separately investigating whether the server shipments violated local laws. Singapore said last year that the servers were subsequently transshipped to Malaysia and may have contained NVIDIA chips. Authorities have been trying to determine whether Malaysia was the final destination in the case, which highlights the role intermediaries play in the movement of high-end semiconductors.