Taiwanese prosecutors have formally indicted nine individuals on charges related to the illegal export of high-end AI servers to China, marking the first significant legal action in a months-long investigation that has already led to detentions and corporate raids. Among the accused are an employee from Nvidia’s Taiwan operations and two staff members from Super Micro, both key players in the global AI hardware supply chain. The indictment describes a documentary fraud scheme rather than a technical breach, where the group allegedly falsified paperwork claiming that 130 Nvidia B300 servers would remain in Taiwan, while the true intention was to reroute them to Chinese buyers.
According to prosecutors, 74 of the servers were successfully shipped out of Taiwan, passing through China, Indonesia, Japan, and Hong Kong before reaching their final destinations. Taiwanese customs intercepted the remaining 56 units, which had been falsely declared for Japan. Eight of the nine defendants face charges of breach of trust and document forgery, while the ninth is additionally accused of siphoning funds from a distributor, suggesting a mix of corporate malfeasance and ordinary fraud. Prosecutors described the operation as a coordinated effort across multiple levels of the supply chain, driven by the enormous profit margins available in China, where B300 servers can sell for nearly double their U.S. market price.
The case highlights the ongoing tension between U.S. export controls and the global demand for advanced AI hardware. The B300 server is exactly the class of technology that U.S. regulations have sought to keep out of China since 2022, requiring licenses for any exports to Chinese destinations. The transshipment routes named in the indictment—particularly through Japan—are consistent with earlier suspicions that Nvidia chips were being funneled into China via indirect pathways. Taiwan’s own export control regime has also been tightened in parallel with Washington’s, with the island adding companies like Huawei and SMIC to its restricted list and pursuing prosecutions under domestic law.
Neither Nvidia nor Super Micro has been charged as a corporate entity, and both companies have framed the matter as individual misconduct rather than company policy. Super Micro has already confirmed the detention of two of its Taiwan-based employees and a subsequent raid on its Taipei office. The case underscores a broader shift in enforcement, moving from corporate-level penalties to holding individuals accountable. As the legal proceedings begin, prosecutors have not indicated whether the investigation is complete, leaving open the possibility of additional charges as the case unfolds in court.
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Forrás: https://thenextweb.com/news/taiwan-indicts-nine-ai-server-smuggling.