NVIDIA chip smuggling suspect arrested in $300 million scheme

U.S. authorities have arrested Greg Lui, CEO of Earthmade Computer, for allegedly orchestrating a smuggling scheme involving over $300 million worth of high-end NVIDIA AI chips and servers destined for China.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI, the scheme operated between October 2023 and August 2026. Lui is accused of using falsified documents to disguise the destination of restricted hardware, including NVIDIA A100 and H100 GPUs, as well as consumer-grade GeForce RTX 4090 and 5090 models. The shipments reportedly utilized freight forwarders in Malaysia and Singapore to transit goods through Hong Kong before reaching end-users in mainland China, including an AI hub in Hangzhou.

Investigators state that Lui used stolen identities to conduct business and bypass export controls. The illicit activities allegedly generated over $176 million in profit for his company. Lui faces multiple federal charges, including conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, smuggling, and money laundering, which carry potential prison sentences of up to 20 years.