Two Chinese nationals charged for illegal Nvidia AI chip exports to China
Chuan Geng, 28, of Pasadena, and Shiwei Yang, 28, of El Monte, allegedly shipped the restricted technology to China between October 2022 and July 2025 without obtaining necessary licenses from the U.S. Commerce Department. The charges stem from an affidavit filed with the complaint, which details their operations through their company, ALX Solutions.
According to the affidavit, ALX Solutions was established in 2022 shortly after the U.S. imposed strict export controls on advanced technology to China. The company reportedly sent over 20 shipments to freight forwarding firms in Singapore and Malaysia, which are often used as transshipment hubs for illegal exports to China.
A federal agent from the U.S. Commerce Department stated in the affidavit that ALX received a $1 million payment from a China-based company in January 2024, along with other payments from firms in Hong Kong and China. The agent noted that these payments did not originate from the freight forwarding companies involved in the shipments.
Nvidia's H100 chips are highly sought after for training large language models and other AI applications. Records indicate that ALX Solutions purchased more than 200 Nvidia H100 chips from San Jose-based Super Micro Computer between August 2023 and July 2024. The company falsely declared that the customers were located in Singapore and Japan.
One invoice from 2023, valued at $28,453,855, listed a Singapore-based customer, but U.S. export control officers in Singapore could not verify the shipment's arrival. The company named on the invoice was also found to be non-existent at the listed address.
In addition to the H100 chips, Geng and Yang are accused of illegally exporting Nvidia's PNY GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards, which also require export licenses for China.
Geng and Yang appeared in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Monday. Geng, a permanent resident, was released on a $250,000 bond, while Yang, who overstayed her visa, faces a detention hearing on August 12. Lawyers for the defendants have not yet responded to requests for comment. - Reuters
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