Nvidia worker among 9 charged in ‘high end’ AI smuggling caseA Nvidia worker is among a group of nine arrested over a massive scandal involving an illegal artificial intelligence plot.less than 2 min readAugust 24, 2026 - 8:53PMThe Nvidia logo is displayed on a sign at the Nvidia headquarters on February 26, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. Technology company Nvidia will report fourth-quarter earnings today after the closing bell. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Nine people in Taiwan, including a Nvidia worker, were charged on Monday over the illegal export of artificial intelligence servers to China, Taiwanese prosecutors said.The indictments follow an investigation into the shipment of “high-end” AI servers made by Nasdaq-listed Super Micro Computer and containing advanced Nvidia chips to China in violation of US export controls.Eight of the nine defendants were charged with breach of trust and forging documents to smuggle 74 servers containing Nvidia chips to China, Keelung District Prosecutors Office said in a statement.Nine people in Taiwan, including a Nvidia worker, were charged on Monday over the illegal export of artificial intelligence servers to China, Taiwanese prosecutors said. (Photo by JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Of those servers, 50 were transhipped through Indonesia, eight were sent via Japan and the rest were exported directly to China. An additional 56 servers were seized at Taiwan’s border, the statement said.Three of the defendants have been charged with embezzlement. The United States restricts exports to China of the most cutting-edge silicon chips used to power artificial intelligence systems, designed by industry leader Nvidia.But it is not a criminal offence in Taiwan — a situation lawmakers and experts say needs to change — with Taiwanese prosecutors relying on other laws to go after offenders.Others you may likenewsnewsThe nine accused include two employees from Super Micro and one from Nvidia as well as one from Taiwan-listed Albatron Technology and another from Chief Telecom, prosecutors said.Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a meeting on global AI governance held on the sidelines of the World AI Conference in Shanghai, China on July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)Neither Nvidia nor Super Micro immediately responded to AFP’s request for comment.Prosecutors said they were seeking sentences of up to five years in jail for seven defendants who were “driven by the pursuit of exorbitant profits” to collude in the illegal export of the servers.“This not only increased corporate compliance costs but also severely damaged the nation’s international image,” the prosecutors said.They were seeking more lenient sentences for the other two defendants who had confessed to all charges and cooperated with the investigation.Read related topics:ChinaMore related storiesAt WorkMum forced back to work in landmark callA new mum who begged for a six-month extension to her parental leave due to a lack of childcare has lost a landmark battle against her employer.Read moreInnovationWhat Aussie AI boom hinges onAustralia risks falling living standards unless it wins the global race for AI investment, Anthony Albanese has warned.Read moreTechnologyTelcos’ new advice after triple-0 disasterThree of Australia’s leading mobile network operators have been forced to launch a public campaign on calling triple-0 in the wake of the outage disasters.Read more