Taiwanese prosecutors have detained an employee of American semiconductor giant Nvidia as part of an investigation into trafficking of artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China, a source close to the matter told AFP on Tuesday.
The person was taken into custody after the search of his home and workplace on July 24, the Keelung district prosecutor’s office said in a statement, without mentioning the name of Nvidia.
He is suspected in particular of having falsified “commercial documents within the meaning of the Penal Code”, prosecutors indicated in a press release.
Prosecutors announced in May that they were investigating the shipment of “high-end” AI servers containing cutting-edge Nvidia chips to mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong, bypassing U.S. export controls.
“This Nvidia employee was identified as a person involved in the case after investigators analyzed relevant evidence following the previous round of searches targeting [l’entreprise américaine] Super Micro » Computer, the source maintains.
Nvidia did not immediately respond to requests from AFP.
A total of seven people are now in custody in this case, including the Nvidia employee, two from Super Micro, and one person working at Albatron Technology, listed on the Taiwan stock exchange.
