Taiwan charges 9 over illegal AI server exports to China, including Nvidia and Super Micro staff

Taiwanese prosecutors have charged nine individuals, including personnel from Nvidia and Super Micro, for illegally exporting high-end AI servers to mainland China. This development adds to the ongoing AI rivalry between China and the United States, where AI infrastructure, particularly advanced semiconductors, has become a focal point of competition.

The U.S. has been imposing restrictions on Nvidia’s exports of advanced chips to China since 2022, tightening the controls further in the years that followed. In April 2025, the U.S. mandated licenses for exports of Nvidia’s H20 chips to China, with some sales resuming later that year under a strict review process. According to a document from Keelung District Prosecutors’ office in Taiwan, any sale of high-end AI servers by Nvidia requires a thorough examination.

The servers involved in this case were graphics processing units, known as “B300,” which are prohibited from sale to China. Nvidia spokesperson Patrick Rutherford stated that the company would work closely with Taiwanese authorities to resolve the allegations swiftly. Super Micro, meanwhile, acknowledged the arrests of two former employees, attributing it to their cooperation with the Taiwanese authorities and asserting its commitment to enhancing its export compliance program to safeguard American innovation.