In a significant development, the co-founder of Super Micro Computer, along with two other individuals, has been indicted by the US Department of Justice. The charges centre around an alleged scheme to illegally export servers packed with high-value Nvidia artificial intelligence chips, totalling an estimated $2.5 billion, to China. This operation is said to have circumvented US export control laws, which mandate licenses for such shipments to China.
The individuals, identified as Yih-Shyan Liaw (also known as Wally), Ruei-Tsang Chang (Steven), and Ting-Wei Sun (Willy), face charges including conspiracy to violate export control laws, smuggling goods, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Liaw, who played a key role in Super Micro's founding and board, was apprehended in California and subsequently released on bail. Sun, a contractor, is awaiting a detention hearing, while Chang, reportedly based in Super Micro's Taiwan office, is currently at large.
The indictment details a sophisticated operation designed to obscure the final destination of the servers. Prosecutors allege that the men utilised a shell company in Southeast Asia to place orders, thereby masking that the servers were destined for China. False documentation was allegedly provided to the server manufacturer, and a separate shipping company was employed to repackage the servers into unmarked boxes to conceal their contents during transit. To further deceive auditors checking the shell company's compliance with export laws, "dummy" non-working server replicas were reportedly staged to appear as if the actual units were still in compliance, with evidence suggesting attempts to alter labels and serial numbers on boxes and dummy units.
News of the charges has had a swift impact on Super Micro's stock, which experienced a decline of nearly 30%. The company has stated its full cooperation with the investigation, asserting that the alleged actions by the individuals are a breach of the company's policies and compliance controls. Super Micro maintains it has a robust compliance program and is dedicated to adhering to all relevant US export and re-export regulations.
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