Taiwan authorities detain three individuals suspected of smuggling Nvidia AI chips to China via Japan

Taiwan's Keelung District Prosecutors Office detained three individuals last week for allegedly falsifying export documents related to Super Micro Computer servers containing advanced Nvidia chips. Authorities seized about 50 servers, but at least one shipment had already cleared Taiwan customs.

The suspects are accused of exporting the servers—which the U.S. has restricted from sale to China without a license—to Japan first before diverting them to China. This marks Taiwan's first public enforcement action against AI chip diversion.

The crackdown reflects Taiwan's response to U.S. pressure to curtail China's access to advanced semiconductor technology.