Two arrested for smuggling AI chips to China; Nvidia rebuffs kill switch request
The U.S. Department of Justice has arrested two Chinese nationals for allegedly smuggling high-performance Nvidia AI chips worth tens of millions of dollars to China, breaking U.S. export controls. The suspects reportedly used shell companies and falsified shipping records to conceal the transfers. This comes amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China over advanced technology exports.
Nvidia, whose chips were at the center of the case, declined a U.S. government request to build “kill switches” into its chips that could disable them remotely, citing concerns over customer trust and global market impact.
The arrests signal a crackdown on tech transfer enforcement, while Nvidia’s stance highlights resistance from industry leaders to overreaching safeguards.
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