By Bing Hong Lok SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Servers used in a fraud case that Singapore announced last week were supplied by U.S. firms and may have contained Nvidia's advanced chips, a government minister said on Monday.

Singapore is investigating whether Dell Technologies Inc. and Super Micro Computer Inc. servers shipped to Malaysia housed Nvidia Corp. chips barred from China, outlining a case that’s highlighted the role of middlemen in funneling high-end semiconductors.

On Thursday, Singaporean police arrested 3 men for allegedly smuggling Nvidia chips, Channel News Asia reported. The men, two Singaporeans and one Chinese citizen, were charged with fraud over a supply of servers.

Singapore authorities have initiated an investigation into potential fraudulent activities related to the shipment of Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) chips. The chips, which are banned in China, were reportedly shipped to Malaysia via servers from Dell Technologies Inc.

Dell is investigating whether Dell and Super Micro servers shipped to Malaysia had NVIDIA AI GPUs that were banned from China, new scandal.

Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said Singapore’s investigations were carried out independently and not requested by the US, which has placed export controls on the chips.

Servers that may contain AI-powering Nvidia chips shipped from the United States to Singapore ended up in Malaysia, but their actual final destination remains a mystery, the city-state's interior mini

Singapore is investigating a fraud case involving Dell (NYSE:DELL) and Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ:SMCI) servers supplied to Singapore-based companies and then shipped to Malaysia, which may have contained Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) chips that the U.