Super Micro contractor pleads guilty in AI-server export case

Ting-Wei “Willy” Sun, a contractor linked to Super Micro Computer, has pleaded guilty in a case involving illegal exports of servers with advanced Nvidia chips to China. Reuters reported the development on 9 October, citing court records.

US prosecutors charged Sun and two other people associated with Super Micro, including a co-founder, in March with conspiring to divert about $2.5 billion in American AI technology to China. The court docket records Sun's plea on 8 October in Manhattan federal court. His admission concerns his own case, while the allegations against the other defendants remain allegations.

According to the indictment, the alleged operation began around 2024 and used a company in Southeast Asia as an intermediary to conceal the customers in China. It identifies Nvidia's B200, H100 and H200 graphics processors, along with servers containing them, as subject to US export restrictions.

Washington restricts unlicensed shipments of advanced AI chips and server systems to China on national security grounds. Super Micro did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Its shares fell slightly in trading after the regular market session.