A company tied to Thailand’s national AI push is now at the center of a suspected smuggling route for Super Micro Computer servers loaded with Nvidia’s most advanced graphics processors, according to Bloomberg News. The reported end customers include Alibaba Group Holding, while U.S. prosecutors have already said a Southeast Asia-based firm bought $2.5 billion worth of servers in 2024 and 2025.
The suspected intermediary is not some shadowy shell in a far-off tax haven. Bloomberg says the unnamed firm prosecutors called ”Company-1” is Bangkok-based OBON Corp., which makes the story more awkward for everyone involved: Thailand wants to be seen as a regional AI hub, while Washington is still trying to stop top-end Nvidia hardware from leaking into China through third countries.
What prosecutors say happened
In March, U.S. prosecutors said a co-founder of Super Micro Computer instructed an unnamed Southeast Asian company to buy servers equipped with Nvidia chips. That company allegedly arranged purchases across 2024 and 2025, making the transaction trail large enough to draw scrutiny even before Bloomberg linked the dots to OBON.
- Servers involved: Super Micro Computer systems with Nvidia graphics processors
- Buyer described by prosecutors: ”Company-1”
- Bloomberg’s identification: OBON Corp. in Bangkok
- Reported customer name: Alibaba Group Holding
Why the Nvidia chips route matters
For Nvidia, the problem is familiar: the company keeps shipping coveted chips, and smugglers keep finding geography. Similar diversion schemes have surfaced before around export-controlled semiconductors, which is why U.S. authorities tend to treat middlemen and resellers as seriously as direct exporters. That makes any Thai-linked AI initiative a particularly sensitive backdrop, even if the firms involved deny wrongdoing.
The bigger issue is that high-end AI hardware is still so scarce that a detour through a third country can be more valuable than the chips themselves. If Bloomberg’s account holds up, the next question is not whether authorities noticed – they clearly did – but how many more such supply chains are already sitting in plain sight.