Taiwan indicts nine over AI servers shipped to China
130 Nvidia B300 servers were ordered, 74 reached Chinese customers, 56 were stopped by customs. The accused include Nvidia and Supermicro employees.
Illustration · AI-generated (AI IN LIFE)
At a glance
- Nine people indicted by Keelung prosecutors, including one Nvidia and two Supermicro employees (24 August 2026)
- 130 B300 servers ordered from Super Micro: 74 delivered to China, 56 intercepted by customs
- Routes per the indictment: direct to China and via Indonesia, Japan and Hong Kong
- Charges: breach of trust and document forgery; one related case over siphoned funds
- Context: US export controls on cutting-edge AI chips since 2022, tightened Taiwanese export rules
Prosecutors in Keelung, Taiwan, have indicted nine people for allegedly shipping high-end AI servers to China in violation of export controls. The accused include one employee of Nvidia Taiwan and two employees of Super Micro Taiwan. Eight face charges of breach of trust and document forgery; one more person is charged in a related case over siphoned funds.
The scale is substantial: 130 servers based on Nvidia's B300 chips were ordered from Super Micro. 74 of them were exported and reached Chinese customers, while 56 were intercepted by Taiwanese customs before export. According to the indictment, shipments went partly direct to China and partly via transshipment through Indonesia, Japan and Hong Kong.
Prosecutors say the defendants were fully aware of both companies' rigorous internal control procedures and still "colluded with one another at various levels for enormous profit, illegally exporting high-end servers" — severely damaging Taiwan's international image in the process. Nvidia and Super Micro did not immediately comment.
The case hits a sensitive spot: the US has restricted exports of cutting-edge AI chips to China since 2022, and Taiwan has tightened its own export controls in recent years, partly to stay aligned with US rules. In parallel, US prosecutors are pursuing cases over allegedly illegal exports of AI servers worth 3.5 billion dollars routed through third countries.
The indictment shows how porous the control chain can be even at the heart of the chip supply chain — where the servers are actually built. For Nvidia and Supermicro the case is especially awkward because their own employees are alleged to have been involved.
FAQ
Why can't B300 servers be exported freely?
Nvidia's current high-end accelerators fall under US export controls targeting China. Taiwan enforces its own export rules to stay aligned with US requirements.
Were Nvidia and Supermicro themselves involved?
Individual employees are charged, not the companies. According to prosecutors, the defendants circumvented both firms' internal controls; the companies did not immediately comment.
How did the servers get to China?
Partly via direct shipments, partly via transshipment through Indonesia, Japan and Hong Kong. Customs stopped 56 of the 130 ordered servers before export.
