There are many strange stories about customs in different countries, and some are even worthy of action or comedy movies. We’ve seen people try to smuggle banned technology into China using some very odd methods. One of these stories seems to be repeating itself with stricter rules in place from the U.S. on exporting technology to China. Now, it’s being reported that NVIDIA graphics cards are being smuggled inside live lobsters or even fake pregnant bellies.
Smuggling Methods Used to Bypass Restrictions
These claims come from the AI company Anthropic, which has called the smuggling of chips an important threat. They mention examples of GPUs being hidden in live lobsters or even fake pregnant bellies. Though this story might sound familiar, NVIDIA responded sarcastically, suggesting that U.S. companies focus on innovation and “rise to the challenge” instead of spreading rumors about these kinds of products.
The situation seems to be getting worse, with China turning to local solutions instead of using NVIDIA’s sought-after accelerator cards. Recently, the U.S. even introduced a special permit for the distribution of certain NVIDIA models created specifically for China. These changes show that restrictions are continuing to tighten.