An AI-powered translation by Reuters has revealed that a company linked to Thailand’s national AI initiative is suspected of smuggling Super Micro Computer servers worth billions of dollars, equipped with advanced Nvidia chips, to China. Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing sources close to the matter.
The intermediary buyer was a Southeast Asian company identified by prosecutors as “Company-1,” which Bloomberg identified as OBON Corp based in Bangkok, according to sources.
Alibaba Group Holding was among the final clients, as per the report.
Nvidia’s spokesperson stated that the company expects strict compliance from its ecosystem partners at all levels and will continue working with the government to enforce rules, in an email to Reuters.
On the other hand, Alibaba informed Reuters that they had no business relationship with Super Micro, OBON, or any other third-party brokers mentioned in the indictment. They also clarified that the banned Nvidia chips were never used in their data centers.
Super Micro did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comments, while OBON could not be reached immediately.
In March, the US Department of Justice charged Super Micro’s co-founder Yih-Shyan Liaw, CFO Ruei-Tsang Chang, and contractor Ting-Wei Sun. They were accused of orchestrating a scheme to ship servers manufactured in the US through Taiwan to Southeast Asia, where they were repackaged in unmarked boxes and covertly smuggled into China.
Prosecutors stated that at least $2.5 billion in American AI technology was transferred, with over $500 million shipped between April and mid-May 2025.
Part of the servers sold to OBON for $2.5 billion was reportedly intended for Alibaba, the report added.
In 2022, the US banned the export of high-end Nvidia chips to China over concerns of military use. However, they approved the sale of Nvidia’s H200 chips, the second most powerful brand, in January of this year, under certain conditions.
Additionally, Super Micro shareholders sued the Silicon Valley server manufacturer in March, accusing them of securities fraud for allegedly concealing their reliance on sales to China, violating US export laws.
