GoKawiilDOJ charges California CEO Greg Lui over $300M Nvidia chip smuggling to China
The Department of Justice has arrested Greg Lui, also known as Yiu Kong Lui, owner of Earthmade Computer Inc., alleging he and unnamed co-conspirators smuggled more than $300 million in export-restricted Nvidia chips to China between 2023 and 2024. Prosecutors say the chips were routed through Malaysia and Singapore using falsified paperwork before reaching Chinese buyers, including the Chinese government. Lui faces charges of conspiracy to violate export control laws, outbound smuggling, and money laundering conspiracy, carrying a potential 20-year sentence.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The case adds to a growing pattern of enforcement actions targeting illegal routes for restricted AI hardware reaching China, following a similar indictment of nine people in Taiwan last month over Nvidia B300 GPU exports. It suggests U.S. authorities are intensifying scrutiny of transshipment schemes through third countries as a workaround to chip export controls, which could prompt tighter compliance requirements across the AI hardware supply chain.
- Greg Lui faces up to 20 years in prison on export control and money laundering charges.
- Prosecutors allege chips were rerouted through Malaysia and Singapore before reaching China.
- The case follows a similar September indictment in Taiwan over Nvidia GPU smuggling.
Source: tomshardware.com — Etiido Uko, 2026-10-02
Published there as: “California tech CEO arrested, faces up to 20 years in prison for smuggling $300 million in Nvidia AI servers to China”
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