Maran Perianen
Malaysia is checking whether any Nvidia chips in Malaysia were later re-exported. The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) said it is working with Customs on the checks. It gave the update in a statement on 13 November. Data centres are central to Malaysia’s AI push, as the Google data centre plan for Selangor shows.
Specifically, MITI said the checks aim to find out if any chips brought in have since left the country. If so, it wants to know if they left in line with the law. The statement also said Malaysia is working with Singapore and the United States.
Here is what MITI and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said and what Malaysia’s rules cover. However, the ministry has not said that any chips were re-exported.
What MITI said about Nvidia chips in Malaysia
Overall, MITI said it is running checks with local Customs. Specifically, it wants to learn if any imported chips were re-exported. It also wants to know if those exports followed the law.
Moreover, the ministry also said it has not cleared Megaspeed or its Malaysian unit of wrongdoing. Megaspeed is a Singapore-based cloud computing firm. Its Malaysian arm is called Speedmatrix.
Notably, on 10 November, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Johari Ghani said Speedmatrix was not under investigation. He said there was no credible evidence or formal request from a foreign authority. However, MITI has since said that visits to data centres are routine monitoring. Such visits, it said, do not mean a company is cleared.
In addition, the statement followed remarks by Singapore authorities on 12 November. They said they received limited information or assistance from US counterparts in a 2025 probe. That probe covered several companies, including Megaspeed.
What Anwar and the rules say on Nvidia chips
Anwar said on 13 November that there is no indication of Nvidia chips being moved out by Megaspeed through Malaysia. He said Malaysia has received no formal request from Singapore or the US. However, he said Malaysia will work with them.
Furthermore, Anwar called Malaysia a trading nation that welcomes investment. He said the aim is to make sure rules are followed. Moreover, he gave no timeline for the checks.
Read more: Google US$15b data centre plan for Selangor, Negeri Sembilan
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Importantly, Malaysia does not need a licence to import AI chips. Since July 2025, though, it requires a permit to send such chips from the US out of Malaysia. Meanwhile, data centres do not have to say who their end users are.
Likewise, the report adds that Nvidia asks its cloud partners for some customer details. It also caps their China business at 49% of services. Overall, these are Nvidia’s own terms, not Malaysian law.
Why Nvidia chips in Malaysia matter for data centres
Meanwhile, data centres drew RM95.8 billion in the first half of 2026. That was 43.9% of all approved investments. In 2021, the figure was only RM1.25 billion, or 0.4%.
Therefore, any new US curbs could reach a large part of Malaysia’s investment base. The report says Malaysia expects tougher US controls on AI chips and remote computing deals with Chinese firms. No final rule has been announced.
Separately, the data centre arm of YTL Power has lost about an eighth of its market value since 10 November. That is about RM5.5 billion, according to the report. Investors are judging how far the firm is exposed to Megaspeed.
In short, MITI is checking with Customs if Nvidia chips in Malaysia were re-exported. It has not cleared Megaspeed or Speedmatrix. Watch for any US rule and a formal request from Washington or Singapore.
Sashidaran Gunathevan
Yalinie Mathan
Amirull Salihing
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