Super Micro Contractor Pleads Guilty in US$2.5B Scheme to Divert Nvidia AI Servers to China

[Nishant]

A contractor linked to server maker Super Micro Computer has pleaded guilty to four counts in a case involving the alleged diversion of about US$2.5 billion worth of US artificial-intelligence technology to China in violation of export laws. The plea Ting-Wei "Willy" Sun pleaded guilty to conspiracies to violate US export controls, smuggle goods from the United States, defraud the country, and obstruct justice, according to a federal court filing shown on Friday in the US District Court in Manhattan. In March, federal prosecutors had charged Sun along with two others associated with Super Micro — including the company's co-founder Yih-Shyan "Wally" Liaw and Taiwan sales manager Ruei-Tsang "Steven" Chang. How the scheme allegedly worked Prosecutors say the scheme began around October 2023, with servers from a US manufacturer "widely believed to be Super Micro" exported to China without the required licences. The indictment described Sun as a broker and "fixer" who facilitated orders and concealed the operation. He allegedly staged "dummy" servers in December 2025 and made false statements to a US Department of Commerce officer during an inspection of already-diverted servers. The hardware at the centre of the case includes Nvidia B200, H100 and H200 graphics processors and the servers containing them — chips subject to US export restrictions on shipments to China for national security reasons. Company response Super Micro said it was not named as a defendant in the case, that it had no impact on its business, and that it had terminated Sun and cut ties with the other defendants earlier this year. Liaw co-founded Super Micro in 1993 and joined its board in 2023. Lawyers for all three defendants declined to comment or did not respond, according to reports. Sources: The Straits Times (Reuters): Super Micro Contractor Pleads Guilty in AI Chip Scheme The Edge Malaysia (Reuters): Super Micro Contractor Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Divert AI Servers With Nvidia Chips to China