Canadian accused of illegal US$30M plot to export Nvidia's high-tech AI chips from U.S. to China

Export-controlled technology worth about US$30 million with fake brand labels was allegedly addressed to an air freight facility near Toronto’s Pearson airport

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A Chinese-born Canadian citizen who lives in Mississauga, Ont., was arrested in Virginia by the FBI and charged with trying to smuggle restricted high-tech Nvidia computer chips used in AI processing to China

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U.S. authorities seized export-controlled technology worth about $30 million that was addressed to an air freight facility in Mississauga, close to Toronto Pearson International Airport, according to allegations filed in court.

Nvidia labels on the components had been removed and replaced with labels for a fake company, authorities said.

The arrest of Benlin Yuan, of Mississauga, immediately west of Toronto, and the large shipment destined for Toronto are part of Operation Gatekeeper, described by U.S. authorities as targeting “a sophisticated illicit procurement conspiracy and smuggling network that orchestrates buying and exporting controlled high-tech computer chips to China.”