Espionage allegations mark the US-China chip rivalry

In the US-China technology rivalry, which came to light with the bans the US imposed on Huawei in 2019, the biggest competition in recent years has been in the chip sector. In recent days, allegations of espionage and theft have risen to the top of the agenda in a process that has continued with reciprocal chip and raw material export bans by both countries.

After the US Department of Justice accused two Chinese citizens, Chuan Geng and Shiwei Yang, of "knowingly and willingly" exporting graphics processing units (GPUs) used to power artificial intelligence without authorization from October 2022 to July 2025, the two Chinese citizens were brought to court. The ministry's statement alleged that the individuals accused of sending Nvidia chips to China had shipped Nvidia H100 GPUs, described as the most powerful chips on the market, to China.

Another piece of news regarding chip espionage came from Taiwan. According to a statement by Taiwanese prosecutors last Tuesday, three people were detained on suspicion of stealing technological trade secrets from the world's largest chip manufacturer, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC).