Shenzhen AI Firm Reveals $92M Purchase of Restricted Nvidia (NVDA) Servers

Key Highlights

Table of Contents

Sharetronic Data Technology, based in Shenzhen, revealed documentation of $92 million in server purchases containing restricted Nvidia chips
The equipment includes Nvidia’s H100 and H200 processors, which require US government authorization for export to China since 2022
Company shares plummeted almost 10% following the revelation
Both Super Micro and Dell deny any transaction records with Sharetronic
The revelation emerged the same day federal prosecutors indicted a Super Micro co-founder for allegedly smuggling Nvidia technology to China

A Shenzhen-headquartered artificial intelligence data center operator, Sharetronic Data Technology, has revealed documentation indicating the acquisition of 276 Super Micro servers equipped with Nvidia’s H100 and H200 processors. The documented value totals 632 million yuan, approximately $92 million USD.

NVIDIA Corporation, NVDA

Since 2022, Washington has prohibited the export of H100 and H200 processors to China without explicit governmental approval. These export controls were established to prevent China from advancing AI capabilities that could enhance its military operations.

Bloomberg News uncovered these invoices within documentation submitted to Chinese regulatory bodies. The financial records, bearing dates from May through June of the previous year, document transactions between Sharetronic and one of its subsidiary entities.

This revelation coincided with US prosecutors filing charges against Yih-Shyan “Wally” Liaw, a co-founder of Super Micro Computer, accusing him of orchestrating the illegal export of Nvidia-equipped servers valued at $2.5 billion to Chinese entities. Liaw has entered a not guilty plea.

Sharetronic’s equity value declined nearly 10% on Friday’s Shenzhen trading session, recording the steepest loss among constituents of the MSCI Asia Index.

Corporate Responses

Super Micro stated it maintains no sales history with Sharetronic and confirmed the entity is not among its client base. Dell similarly reported discovering “no record of the alleged sales.” Nvidia indicated its distribution partners operate under strict directives prohibiting delivery of controlled servers absent US authorization.

In an official statement, Sharetronic asserted that all its hardware acquisitions originated from “legal and compliant channels.” The company avoided directly addressing inquiries regarding the documented invoices and refused to elaborate on procurement details, invoking client confidentiality obligations.

Sharetronic further denied maintaining any commercial relationship with Super Micro.

The origin point of Sharetronic’s server acquisition remains undetermined. The invoices fail to identify the primary vendor.

Sharetronic’s Connection to Nvidia

Sharetronic’s collaborative venture, Guangzhou Fcloud Technology, maintains official recognition as an Nvidia Cloud Partner, representing one of merely eight such designated entities operating in China. This certification indicates Nvidia’s assessment that the organization possesses adequate infrastructure capabilities for secure AI operations.

Following receipt of this partnership status, Sharetronic publicly announced intentions to acquire hardware totaling 32.2 billion yuan.

The invoices additionally documented a smaller procurement of 32 Dell PowerEdge XE9680 servers. Every hardware configuration compatible with these server models fell under US export restrictions by the invoice dates.

Federal prosecutors have not disclosed whether Sharetronic represents one of the unidentified Chinese purchasers referenced in the Super Micro prosecution.

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