Thai firm suspected of smuggling NVIDIA chips to China
What's the story
A Thai company, OBON Corp, is under suspicion of allegedly smuggling Super Micro Computer servers worth billions of dollars. The servers are said to be equipped with advanced NVIDIA chips and are reportedly destined for China. According to Bloomberg News, Alibaba Group Holding is one of the end customers involved in this suspicious transaction.
Legal proceedings
OBON Corp allegedly purchased servers for 'Company-1'
In a criminal case filed in March, US prosecutors alleged that OBON Corp's co-founder Liaw directed an unnamed Southeast Asian company to purchase servers with NVIDIA chips. This unnamed firm, referred to as "Company-1" by the prosecutors, is believed to be Bangkok-based OBON Corp. The company reportedly bought $2.5 billion worth of these servers in 2024 and 2025.
Information
Connection to Thailand's national AI initiative raises questions
OBON Corp is also associated with Thailand's national artificial intelligence (AI) initiative. This connection has raised further questions about the company's role in the alleged smuggling operation.