Overview
- The Keelung District Prosecutors Office carried out coordinated searches on June 29 at about a dozen sites, including Supermicro’s Taiwan office, the distributor Albatron Technology, data‑centre operator Chief Telecom and six private residences.
- U.S. prosecutors unsealed charges in March against three people, including Supermicro co‑founder Yih‑Shyan “Wally” Liaw, alleging a scheme that used front companies, forged export documents and serial‑number manipulation to route restricted Nvidia‑equipped servers to China.
- Taiwanese investigators previously seized roughly 50 high‑end Supermicro servers in May and have expanded the list of people under investigation, summoning multiple suspects for questioning and detaining some workers tied to the case.
- Supermicro says it is cooperating with authorities, has placed implicated employees on administrative leave and cut ties with the contractor named in the U.S. indictment, and the company itself has not been charged; its shares fell sharply after the raids.
- The case highlights gaps in Taiwan law because unauthorized AI‑chip exports to China are not a distinct criminal offence, and Taipei is considering new legislation and tighter export controls that could strengthen cross‑border enforcement and supply‑chain compliance.