Super Micro Computer faces US probe over alleged chip diversion to China
Super Micro Computer shares fell as much as 12% after a report said the federal prosecutor’s office in Manhattan is investigating whether people linked to Alice Huang helped move the company’s products to China. The drop came on Thursday, November 12, 2026. The company is not a defendant.
The investigation had not been made public before the report. According to the reports, it is run by the Manhattan federal prosecutor’s office, which is part of the US Department of Justice (DOJ). The company said it is cooperating with the investigation.
Super Micro Computer probe focuses on Alice Huang and Megaspeed
The probe checks whether companies tied to Alice Huang helped smuggle Super Micro products into China. Alice Huang is a former head of Megaspeed International, which is also a target of a DOJ investigation into suspected chip smuggling. Megaspeed denies any wrongdoing.
See also: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigns, Colette Kress named interim CEO
The reports do not say what role Alice Huang or the companies linked to her may have played. They also do not say how many products may have been diverted, and it is not clear whether the probe connects to smuggling cases already opened by authorities in the United States or Asia.
Super Micro Computer shares: figures differ between reports
The size of the share drop varies depending on the source. Some reports put the fall at up to 12% during the day, while others cite a smaller drop at the time of the quote they used. The figures below are the ones reported, and the newsroom has not confirmed a single version.
Check out: DOJ probes Nvidia over 20 billion dollar agreement with Groq
- Up to 12%: maximum fall during the day, in one report
- 10.5%: drop after a second report, which described three DOJ investigations
- About 5% (US$ 28.80): drop at the time of a quote cited by another outlet
One source cited a post saying the stock fell 14% at one point in the day. That source is not a confirmed news report, so this figure is not treated as established.
Three DOJ investigations, according to government officials
A report cited two government officials who said the DOJ runs three separate investigations involving Nvidia, Megaspeed and Super Micro Computer. One is an antitrust case against Nvidia. The other two concern Megaspeed and Super Micro Computer, including the matter involving Alice Huang.
The DOJ has not issued a public statement on the investigations in the sources reviewed. The information comes from reports citing people close to the case. According to the same reports, there is no sign that prosecutors plan to charge Nvidia or Jensen Huang at this time.
Earlier case: Wally Liaw charged in March
The new probe follows a case opened by federal prosecutors in Manhattan in March. Prosecutors charged Yih-Shyan “Wally” Liaw, a former co-founder of Super Micro Computer, and two other people. They accused them of a plan to send servers with Nvidia chips to an unidentified buyer in Southeast Asia, with the chips later diverted to customers in China. Liaw has left the company and pleaded not guilty. Super Micro Computer was not named as a defendant in that case.
Super Micro Computer beat forecasts before the drop
The share fall came about nine days after the company’s quarterly results. On Tuesday, November 3, Super Micro Computer reported earnings above expectations and raised its revenue forecast for fiscal 2027. The company’s results for the first fiscal quarter were:
- Earnings per share: US$ 1.81, against analyst expectations of US$ 1.23
- Revenue: US$ 19.95 billion
- New fiscal 2027 revenue forecast: US$ 72 billion to US$ 82 billion, against analyst expectations of US$ 69.17 billion
The raised forecast was above what analysts expected, so the probe report arrived after a stronger-than-expected quarter. Shares had already been under pressure from a drop of about 5% on the day the results were discussed, according to one report.
What is still unknown about the Super Micro Computer probe
Reporting so far has not established the link between Alice Huang and the products. It is also not known whether the probe overlaps with smuggling cases already opened in the United States or Asia, or how large any diversion may have been. Until the DOJ or the court makes a formal filing, the account of the investigation rests on reports citing people close to the case.
