US arrests man over alleged smuggling of US$300 million worth of computer servers to China

Greg Lui operated a technology company called Earthmade Computer, which he used to buy and send items to China without the licences required by the US Department of Commerce from 2023 to 2024, said the Department of Justice.

The words "AI Chips", a keyboard and a robotic hand in this illustration taken on Sep 23, 2026. (File photo: Reuters/Dado Ruvic)

Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.

WASHINGTON: US authorities have arrested a man accused of smuggling more than US$300 million worth of computer servers to China, the Department of Justice announced.

Greg Lui, 38, of California, also known as "Yiu Kong Lui", allegedly used false paperwork and shipments through third countries to smuggle the export-controlled computer servers to China, the department said in a statement on Thursday (Oct 1).

The servers contained "US-manufactured graphics processing units (GPUs) commonly used for Super Intelligence (SI)", it added, using the Trump administration's new name for artificial intelligence (AI).

"Protecting America's national security means keeping our advanced Super Intelligence technology from being used to strengthen our adversaries' military capabilities," California prosecutor Bill Essayli said.

Copyright for this text belongs to CNA.