Two US senators, Jim Banks and Elizabeth Warren, have asked the US Department of Commerce to suspend all export licenses for NVIDIA AI chips to China and Southeast Asian countries, according to a Financial Times report. The suspension of licenses was requested after a scandal involving the massive smuggling of NVIDIA chips to China through countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.
Last week, three individuals associated with Super Micro Computer were charged by the US Department of Justice for helping to smuggle at least $2.5 billion worth of AI technology into China.
The senators’ letter accused NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang of misleading US officials by denying that chips were being smuggled to China. They said Huang’s statements contradicted reports that were already available at the time.
NVIDIA has insisted that compliance with export regulations is its top priority. After the suspect was arraigned in a Singapore court last year, MITI required special permits for the export and transit of US-made AI chips in Malaysia to prevent the country from being used for smuggling to China again.
