Taiwan Arrests Suspected Nvidia Worker in Connection with Super Micro AI Server Export Probe
Taiwan detains a person who is thought to work for Nvidia while prosecutors look into the possible illegal export of Super Micro AI servers.
Taiwanese prosecutors have detained a man who is said to work for Nvidia while they expand their investigation into the alleged illegal export to mainland China of advanced Super Micro AI servers that contain restricted US technology.
The Keelung District Prosecutors’ Office said on Tuesday that on July 24, investigators searched a suspect’s home and workplace and then questioned him. The suspect was only named by his last name, Chang. Authorities did not say who Chang’s employer is, but a local news source, Mirror Media, said that Chang works for Nvidia.
Prosecutors said the court agreed to hold Chang because they said he was a flight risk and could change evidence or work with other criminals or witnesses to commit crimes.
The servers at the center of the investigation contained Nvidia chips that the US restricted from exporting in 2022, according to police. Some advanced semiconductors and artificial intelligence technologies can’t be sent to China or sold there because of the steps.
Nvidia did not say for sure if the person in custody is an employee of the company. The chipmaker said in a statement that it mostly sells its products to well-known original equipment makers (OEMs). It also said that it works closely with its partners to make sure that they follow US export control rules.
With this latest arrest, Taiwan has now gone through three stages of its investigation into the accused export network. Three people were arrested in May on suspicion of shipping high-end Super Micro AI computers with restricted Nvidia chips to China without a license.
Two employees at Super Micro’s Taiwan unit were arrested in late June after a second round of searches. This was part of an ongoing investigation into the possible export scheme.
This case comes after separate action by US authorities. Three people connected to Super Micro were charged by the US Department of Justice in March with trying to illegally send at least $2.5 billion worth of US artificial intelligence technology to China. One of the co-founders of the company was among those charged.
Taiwan leads the world in producing advanced semiconductors for AI. In recent years, Taiwan has tightened export controls to prevent sensitive technologies from reaching China. This is because tensions between Washington and Beijing over national security and advanced technology are rising.
