Key facts
- A contractor linked to Super Micro Computer, Ting-Wei "Willy" Sun, pleaded guilty to illegally exporting AI servers to China.
- The scheme involved diverting approximately $2.5 billion worth of U.S. AI technology to China.
- Servers containing advanced Nvidia AI chips were allegedly rerouted through a Southeast Asian company to Chinese customers.
- Sun entered his guilty plea on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
- Prosecutors had previously charged Sun, Super Micro co-founder Yih-Shyan "Wally" Liaw, and Ruei-Tsang "Steven" Chang in connection with the scheme.
- Liaw pleaded not guilty and resigned from the company's board.
A former contractor for Super Micro Computer has pleaded guilty to his role in a scheme to illegally export advanced AI servers containing Nvidia chips to China, according to court filings.
Ting-Wei "Willy" Sun admitted on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan to conspiring to violate U.S. export controls. Prosecutors allege that Sun, along with Super Micro co-founder Yih-Shyan "Wally" Liaw and former Taiwan office manager Ruei-Tsang "Steven" Chang, conspired to divert approximately $2.5 billion worth of U.S. AI technology to China.
The scheme involved selling servers to a company in Southeast Asia, which then forwarded them to customers in China. Prosecutors stated that over $510 million worth of servers were sent to Chinese customers in a six-week period between late April and mid-May 2025. The methods allegedly included repackaging servers and creating false paperwork to mislead U.S. authorities.
Liaw, who resigned from Super Micro's board shortly after the indictment was unsealed in March, has pleaded not guilty. Chang remains at large. Super Micro Computer itself has not been charged in the case, and the company has stated it is cooperating with authorities and commissioned an independent probe that found no knowledge of the scheme by current senior management.