Taiwan prosecutors have detained an Nvidia employee as part of a probe into the alleged illegal export of Super Micro AI servers to China, Taiwanese media reported.
The Keelung District Prosecutors Office said in a statement on Tuesday that a suspect surnamed Chang was questioned after authorities searched his home and workplace on 24 July. The office did not disclose where he was employed. Chang was subsequently detained after prosecutors argued there was a risk he could flee, destroy evidence or collude with accomplices or witnesses.
Prosecutors said the servers in question were fitted with Nvidia chips subject to US export controls, restrictions in place since 2022 that make it illegal to export or sell such semiconductors in mainland China. Taiwan's Mirror Media reported on Tuesday that Chang is an Nvidia employee, though Nvidia itself has not confirmed this. In a statement to Reuters, the company said it primarily sells its products to established partners, including original equipment manufacturers, adding that it works to "ensure that all sales comply with U.S. export control rules."
Third round of searches in widening investigation
Tuesday's action forms part of a third round of searches in an investigation that has been running since May. Taiwanese prosecutors opened the first round that month, detaining three people suspected of illegally exporting Super Micro's high-end AI servers, equipped with restricted Nvidia chips, to China. A second round followed in late June, when prosecutors detained two Super Micro employees at the company's Taiwan unit.
The probe builds on action already taken in the United States. In March, the US Justice Department charged three people connected to Super Micro, including one of its co-founders, with helping smuggle at least 2.5 billion dollars' worth of American AI technology to China in violation of export controls.
Taiwan is the world's largest producer of advanced chips used in AI applications, and the island has tightened its own export controls in recent years to prevent advanced technology and expertise from reaching China. Beijing claims the democratically governed island as its own territory, a claim Taiwan strongly rejects.
Source: Reuters
