US authorities have arrested a 38-year-old California technology company owner accused of smuggling more than $300 million worth of export-controlled computer servers to China, said the statement by the Department of Justice.

The servers contained US-manufactured graphics processing units (GPUs) commonly used for Super Intelligence (SI) applications.

“SI is the defining technology of the era,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division will protect the American advantage in the chips that power this technology, a product of our unparalleled innovation and hard work, from illegal diversion by our economic and military adversaries.”

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Greg Lui, 38, also known as Yiu Kong Lui, owns Earthmade Computer, a San Gabriel Valley-based technology company.

Between 2023 and 2024, Lui and his co-conspirators allegedly used Earthmade to purchase and ship export-controlled items to China without the required licenses from the US Department of Commerce. Instead, they allegedly routed the items through countries including Malaysia and Singapore before re-exporting them to China.

He has been charged with conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act and Export Administration Regulations, outbound smuggling and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California said protecting America’s national security means keeping advanced Super Intelligence technology from being used to strengthen the military capabilities of US adversaries. “We will aggressively prosecute those who put our national security at risk for profit,” he said.

The Justice Department said the servers contained GPUs manufactured by companies that specialize in SI computing and that “Lui did so despite knowing that the true end users of the servers he purchased were in China”.

As part of the alleged scheme, Lui and his co-conspirators provided false documentation to US-based manufacturers, misrepresenting the intended end users and destinations as ones that did not require an export license.

From January 2024 to October 2024, Earthmade received more than $176 million from two Malaysia-based shipment companies as part of the alleged scheme, the Justice Department said.

If convicted, Lui could face a maximum of 50 years in prison.

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