IT之家 News on October 28: Malaysian customs this month seized advanced AI chips worth about 4,950万 ringgit (IT之家 note: approximately 8,117.5万元 RMB at current exchange rates) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and is hunting a criminal syndicate suspected of smuggling high-performance semiconductors through the country's main airport.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport customs director Aspalila Ag Tuah revealed that on October 15, enforcement officers inspecting cargo in the airport free trade zone discovered 30 servers fitted with advanced AI chips.
Preliminary investigations show the servers came from a country in Asia and were planned to be transshipped to another Asian country. Because the relevant transshipment operations require a trade permit, enforcement authorities suspect those involved were attempting to evade export controls by transiting through Malaysia.
Aspalila said the servers involved were falsely declared as ordinary electronic components in order to ensure the shipment would not be subject to relevant restrictions when transported to its next destination. A Malaysian company that helped transport the shipment has been asked to cooperate with the investigation.
Malaysian customs suspects the syndicate in this case is linked to a similar smuggling case uncovered in June this year. Aspalila said the syndicate is involved in at least 5 related cases, with chips seized totaling more than 1亿 ringgit (approximately 1.64亿元 RMB at current exchange rates). As the investigation is ongoing, she did not disclose further details. Malaysian customs is currently still investigating the specific origin of the shipments involved, their final destination, and the responsibility of the persons involved.
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