Supermicro employees accused of smuggling $2.5 billion worth of Nvidia hardware to China — perps used a hairdryer to move serial numbers between real hardware and thousands of dummy servers

Three Super Micro employees are accused of smuggling advanced U.S. AI technology worth $2.5 billion to China using a middleman company to fake paperwork and swap Nvidia-powered servers with dummy ones. The indicted trio includes a Super Micro co-founder and a sales manager, with one currently a fugitive. The operation involved using hair dryers to move serial numbers and fabricating paperwork to deceive inspectors. Super Micro and Nvidia have distanced themselves from the accused, emphasizing compliance with export laws. The employees face serious federal charges that could result in lengthy prison sentences and fines.