MITI Never Cleared Megaspeed, Speedmatrix, Saying Data Centre Visits Part Of Routine Monitoring

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) has never cleared Singapore-based Megaspeed International Pte Ltd or its Malaysian affiliate, Speedmatrix Sdn Bhd.

The ministry, however, did not explain what the two entities were being cleared of.

In a statement today, MITI said any verification visits carried out by the ministry at data centre facilities were part of its regular monitoring of the data centre sector and should not be taken to mean that a company had been cleared.

“Any suggestion otherwise is inaccurate.

“As a data centre tenant in Malaysia, Speedmatrix brings its own servers and artificial intelligence (AI) chips into Malaysia for its operations. Bringing AI chips into Malaysia does not currently require a permit or licence,” it added.

However, since July 2025, MITI said anyone seeking to export, re-export, transship or transit high-performance United States AI chips from or through Malaysia must first obtain a permit from the ministry under the Strategic Trade Act 2010.

“Giving false information to Customs about such goods is also a serious offence under the Customs Act 1967.

“MITI is therefore working with the Royal Malaysian Customs Department to determine whether any of the chips brought into Malaysia have since been re-exported to other countries, and whether such re-exports were carried out in accordance with the law,” said the ministry.

The ministry said Malaysia would carry out its own checks independently, in accordance with Malaysian law and based on the available evidence.

“To strengthen these safeguards, MITI is working closely with the authorities in Singapore and the US, and is considering further measures to strengthen controls where necessary.

“While Malaysia does not enforce unilateral export controls imposed by other countries, all companies operating in Malaysia are expected to take such controls into account in their international business,” it said.

MITI also reminded companies not to misrepresent their dealings with government agencies.

“Malaysia welcomes investment in data centres and technology, but will not allow itself to be used to circumvent export controls.

“The government will take stern action against any company found to have broken Malaysian law,” it said.

Yesterday, MITI Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said Malaysia was ready to facilitate any formal request to investigate Speedmatrix, although the government had yet to receive such a request.

It was reported that Speedmatrix, allegedly linked to the Nvidia chip controversy, might have breached the country's export restrictions.

Johari said he had also raised the issue with data centre operators, drawing a distinction between using graphics processing units (GPUs) at a company's own data centre and re-exporting the chips.

“So far, I have already informed all the data centres… Is there anything wrong with Speedmatrix or Megaspeed renting the data centre? If there is nothing wrong and they buy the GPU for their own use in the data centre, then I cannot see what law we need to use.

“But if there is a restriction on re-exporting that GPU, that is something that we need to look into,” he said.

-- BERNAMA