New details have emerged in the allegedAI chip diversion schemeinvolving the co-founder of Super Micro Computer.
Bloomberg reports thatsome of the $2.5 billion worth of servers containing advanced AI chipswere allegedly routed through a Bangkok-based company before reaching Chinese AI leader Alibaba.
US prosecutors this year outlined a scheme in which Super Micro's co-founder allegedly worked with an unnamed Southeast Asian company and a "rotating cast" of third-party brokers to divert the AI semiconductors in violation of US trade rules.
The Southeast Asian firm the prosecutors didn't name, identified only as Company-1, is Bangkok-based OBON Corp., the people said.
Some of the $2.5 billion worth of servers sold to OBON allegedly went to Chinese AI leader Alibaba, according to the people, who requested anonymity to discuss a sensitive legal and geopolitical matter.
It is important to note that OBON is linked to Thailand's AI infrastructure buildout and the creation of Siam AI, Thailand's sovereign cloud champion.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang even appeared at a Siam AI event in December 2024, focused on sovereign AI. Siam AI's CEO, Ratanaphon Wongnapachant, said Siam AI was not involved and that he had left OBON when he launched Siam AI.
Washington has restricted exports of advanced Nvidia AI chips to China over national security concerns, leaving Chinese firms to either rent overseas computing resources or obtain chips through smuggling channels.
In mid-March, U.S. federal prosecutorscharged three men: senior executive Yih-Shyan "Wally" Liaw, the co-founder; Ruei-Tsang "Steven" Chang; and Ting-Wei "Willy" Sun, with conspiring to divert $2.5 billion worth of Nvidia chips to China.
"OBON's purported involvement in the smuggling arrangement could deal a blow to Thailand's fledgling AI ambitions and reignite calls in Washington for restrictions on chip sales to the region," Bloomberg noted.
Source: ZeroHedge News
