DOJ released charges against Greg Lui and Earthmade Computer
Following·New·first covered 2 Oct 2026·4 sources
DOJ Charges Earthmade CEO Greg Lui with $300M Nvidia Server Smuggling
The gist
The case shows export-controlled Nvidia chips capable of training large AI models being routed to China through third-country transshipment despite US restrictions. Congressional scrutiny of Nvidia's own compliance practices adds a regulatory dimension beyond the criminal prosecution.
The full picture
Federal prosecutors charged Greg Lui, 38, owner and CEO of Earthmade Computer, with conspiracy to violate export controls, outbound smuggling, and money-laundering conspiracy. Lui and alleged co-conspirators purchased high-end GPU servers from US manufacturers in 2023 and 2024 and routed them through Malaysia and Singapore using false documentation that claimed servers would reach permitted end users. Earthmade received more than $176 million from two Malaysia-based shipment companies between January and October 2024, and the total value of alleged smuggled servers exceeds $300 million. The indictment names a Hangzhou industrial buyer; prosecutors have not established a proven Chinese government sale. Senator Elizabeth Warren separately sent a letter to Nvidia questioning the accuracy of its public statements about chip diversion to China and asking about its compliance with US export control laws, citing criminal cases she said raise serious questions about Nvidia's compliance practices.
How it developed
Sources
Rohan Paul Twitter
banking.senate.gov
The daily email
Want this in your inbox?
I send one email each morning with the stories that moved. If you would rather just read here, that works too.
Subscribe free