Malaysia Caught AI Chip Smugglers at the Same Airport Twice
The smugglers came back to the same airport, used the same trick, and got caught a second time. That is the blunt summary of what Malaysian customs announced on Wednesday: 30 server units packed with advanced artificial intelligence chips, worth about 49.5 million ringgit ($12.11 million), seized at Kuala Lumpur International Airport's free trade zone after inspectors found them on 15 October. The shipment had been falsely declared as electronic components, according to Aspalila Ag Tuah, the airport's customs director, who briefed reporters on the seizure. It had arrived from one Asian country and was meant to be re-exported to another, a journey that required a trade permit it did not have. "The servers were falsely declared as electronic components... and shipped through Malaysia to ensure there would be no restrictions imposed while being exported to the next destination," Aspalila said. Customs believes the shipment belongs to a network it has met before. The O...