Taiwan Detains 2 Super Micro Executives in Nvidia Chip-Smuggling Investigation

Taiwan prosecutors detained two Super Micro Computer Inc. employees on July 1, 2026 on forgery charges after raiding the company's Taiwan offices on June 29 as part of a widening investigation into the alleged smuggling of roughly 50 Nvidia GB300-based AI servers (valued near $22 million) to China, reportedly routed through Japan and Hong Kong to evade export controls. The Keelung District Court investigation has expanded from 3 to 9 suspects spanning 12 locations. The case is Taiwan's most significant AI-chip smuggling prosecution to date and lands just weeks after Taipei began weighing sweeping new criminal penalties for unauthorized AI chip exports to China (see June 9 report), underscoring how seriously authorities are treating diversion risks around Taiwan's semiconductor and server supply chain.