US reportedly placed location trackers in AI chip shipments diverted to China
Reuters is reporting that the US has been using location trackers to trace shipments of AI chips illegally diverted to China.
The report cites sources that say shipments of AI chips and servers from Nvidia, Dell, Super Micro Computer, and AMD have had trackers found in packaging and sometimes in the hardware itself.
US export restrictions prohibit the sale of advanced AI hardware, such as Blackwell GPUs from Nvidia or other manufacturers, to prevent countries including Russia and China from gaining an edge in the race for AI dominance.
Even with tight export controls, a black market for the most powerful chips has emerged, as shipments are sometimes diverted to nonrestricted countries and then shipped on to China.
The report notes that the companies involved may not be aware of the trackers, as sometimes they’re placed by law enforcement agencies or border control authorities.
The report cites sources that say shipments of AI chips and servers from Nvidia, Dell, Super Micro Computer, and AMD have had trackers found in packaging and sometimes in the hardware itself.
US export restrictions prohibit the sale of advanced AI hardware, such as Blackwell GPUs from Nvidia or other manufacturers, to prevent countries including Russia and China from gaining an edge in the race for AI dominance.
Even with tight export controls, a black market for the most powerful chips has emerged, as shipments are sometimes diverted to nonrestricted countries and then shipped on to China.
The report notes that the companies involved may not be aware of the trackers, as sometimes they’re placed by law enforcement agencies or border control authorities.
