Up until now, all instances where US regulators expressed suspicion regarding American citizens’ involvement in smuggling AI accelerators to China concerned smaller firms. However, recently, charges have been brought against individuals directly connected to the leadership of the company Supermicro.
Image Credit: Super Micro Computer
Image Credit: Super Micro Computer
CNBC highlights that the indictment issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York explicitly mentions private individuals affiliated with a certain American server equipment manufacturer, and the names of the accused clearly indicate that Super Micro Computer is the subject. Yih-Shyan Liaw, named in the document, is a co-founder and current member of the company’s board of directors. Ruei-Tsan Chang manages equipment sales for this brand in Taiwan, while Ting-Wei Sun is a representative of a Supermicro contractor.
According to American law enforcement, the three defendants orchestrated the illicit export of server equipment equipped with Nvidia accelerators to China. They utilized a shell company located in Southeast Asia, which was listed as the final recipient of the products in the paperwork. Another company was brought in specifically to repackage the shipments to conceal the fact that they were destined for China. Allegedly, the participants in this scheme presented fake boxes of equipment to inspectors at the shell company’s warehouses, while the actual hardware had already been sent to the PRC. The prosecution claims the accused exerted pressure on regulatory bodies and attempted to mislead a representative from the U.S. Department of Commerce who was tasked with conducting an additional review of the shipments. The Supermicro representative in Taiwan supposedly participated in document manipulation and tried to enlist a “suitable” auditor for the inspection.
The investigation believes that in late 2024, Yih-Shyan Liaw attempted to arrange shipments of Nvidia B200 accelerators to China using a front company. Investigators reportedly possess excerpts from correspondence between the Supermicro representative and alleged accomplices. In 2025, he rushed suppliers, eager to send more equipment to China before new official restrictions took effect. Of the three individuals implicated in the case, two have already been arrested; the Taiwanese representative for Supermicro remains at large. Following this news, the company’s shares dropped by 12%.
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