Taiwan indicts 9 over illegal AI server exports to China

Taiwanese prosecutors announced on Monday the indictment of nine individuals, including employees of technology giants Nvidia and Super Micro Computer, for allegedly orchestrating the illegal export of advanced artificial intelligence servers to mainland China. The case, centered in the northern port city of Keelung, marks a significant development in the ongoing geopolitical contest over AI technology between the United States and China.

According to the Keelung District Prosecutors Office, the defendants are accused of breaching trust and forging documents to smuggle 74 servers equipped with Nvidia's high-end B300 graphics processing units, which are subject to strict U.S. export controls. The investigation revealed that the servers, manufactured by Super Micro, were part of a larger order of 130 units. To facilitate the scheme, prosecutors allege the group created false end-user certificates and fabricated inspection reports to make it appear the servers would be installed and used at a legitimate data center facility in Taiwan.

The servers were ultimately shipped to Chinese customers through a network of transshipment points. Of the 74 successfully delivered, 50 were routed...