# Supermicro's Board Clears CEO in Investigation Into Alleged $2.5 Billion Nvidia Chip Smuggling Scheme > An independent Supermicro investigation found no evidence CEO Charles Liang or current management knew of an alleged scheme to smuggle Nvidia chips to China, even as related federal and Taiwanese probes continue, according to Fortune. - Source: Money Standard - Canonical URL: https://moneystandard.co.uk/article/supermicro-board-clears-ceo-in-nvidia-chip-smuggling-probe - Author: Money Standard Newsroom - Section: Business - Published: 2026-08-22T01:34:26.149Z - Updated: 2026-08-22T01:34:26.149Z - Tags: Supermicro --- Supermicro's board has wrapped up an independent investigation into an alleged $2.5 billion scheme to smuggle Nvidia chips into China, clearing CEO Charles Liang and the company's current senior management of any knowledge of the operation, according to Fortune. The probe, led by independent director Scott Angel, a former Deloitte audit partner, and audit committee chair Tally Liu, reviewed customer transactions and found no evidence Supermicro sold export controlled products to banned entities or that its financial statements were unreliable. The investigation did lead the company to terminate employees in sales, technical support, and business development for policy violations tied to the matter. The alleged ringleader is Supermicro co-founder Yih-Shyan Wally Liaw, who was indicted in March 2026 alongside two others accused of assisting him. Liaw has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted; his trial has since been pushed back to March 2027 after a grand jury subpoena surfaced additional discovery. CEO Liang has characterized Supermicro itself as a victim in the alleged scheme. The board clearance does not close out the company's legal exposure. Supermicro is still facing an SEC subpoena, a separate federal grand jury investigation in New York, and fallout in Taiwan, where authorities detained four employees as part of their own inquiry. This marks the second time in two years that an internal investigation has cleared Supermicro's management, a pattern that Fortune notes has left some investors uneasy about the company's broader governance track record even as the immediate allegations against current leadership have been dismissed. --- Originally published by Money Standard. Free to cite with attribution and a link to https://moneystandard.co.uk/article/supermicro-board-clears-ceo-in-nvidia-chip-smuggling-probe.