[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] The U.S. Department of Justice announced on August 5 (local time) that two Chinese nationals have been arrested on charges of illegally exporting high-performance artificial intelligence (AI) chips developed by NVIDIA to China, in violation of U.S. export control laws.



According to Bloomberg, the individuals operated through a company based in El Monte, California, and exported restricted NVIDIA chips, including the H100 series, to China without the required government authorization.



The H100 chips are considered among the most advanced AI semiconductors on the market and are subject to stringent U.S. export controls targeting China. The suspects have been indicted under the Export Control Reform Act and, if convicted, face up to 20 years in prison.



The U.S. government has significantly tightened export restrictions on advanced semiconductors and chipmaking equipment to prevent critical technologies from being accessed by China amid intensifying competition in the AI domain. Former President Donald Trump's administration had also introduced enhanced location-tracking capabilities in AI chips to strengthen enforcement of export controls.



This case underscores ongoing U.S. efforts to curb unauthorized technology transfers and protect national security in the evolving landscape of AI and semiconductor innovation.

 

 

 

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