말레이시아 세관당국이 쿠알라룸푸르 국제공항에서 1,200만 달러 이상 상당의 첨단 AI 칩이 탑재된 서버 30대를 압수했으며, 당국은 해당 사건을 조사하고 있다.

Malaysian customs have seized more than $12 million (49.5 million Malaysian ringgit) worth of advanced AI chips in a single operation, as the country moves to crack down on a suspected semiconductor smuggling syndicate. According to a Reuters report on October 28, officials found 30 servers containing the chips at the free trade zone of Kuala Lumpur International Airport on October 15. Initial investigations showed that the shipment originated in an Asian country and was bound for another, undisclosed Asian country.

The airport's customs director, Aspalila Ag Tuah, confirmed that the servers had been falsely declared as ordinary electronic goods. She said the suspected scheme used Malaysia as a transit point to avoid restrictions on the goods' onward movement. The Malaysian company involved in the shipment has been summoned to assist the investigation.

Authorities suspect that the foiled attempt was carried out by the same group responsible for a similar smuggling attempt in June. On June 5, customs officers discovered 72 server units containing advanced AI chips at the same airport, valued at approximately $13 million. That shipment was also falsely declared as computer components and was meant to be reshipped without the required permit. Aspalila said the network has been linked to seizures worth more than $25 million so far across at least five cases. She declined to provide further details about the network or the current case, citing ongoing investigations.

Several key facts remain unknown, including the chip type, the country of manufacture, the final destination, and the intended recipient, whether a company or a military organization. The United States has imposed export controls on the movement of advanced Nvidia and other U.S.-origin AI chips to China, which is the most likely destination for the seized chips. Smuggling networks have reportedly begun using Malaysia, a U.S. ally not subject to the controls, as a hub, exporting the banned chips to the country before re-exporting them to China.

Malaysia's geographic location and mature logistics infrastructure make it important for legitimate international trade, but those same characteristics also make it attractive for smuggling sensitive technology. To close this route, Malaysia subsequently imposed export controls on the movement of advanced U.S.-origin AI chips at Washington's request. Other Asian U.S. allies, including Singapore and Taiwan, have implemented similar controls. Meanwhile, demand for powerful Nvidia GPUs remains high in China, fueling a booming market for smuggled hardware.