GPU Smuggling Documentary Highlights How Easily China Can Grab Latest GPU Designs

Chinese companies seem to be having an increasingly difficult time accessing the latest GPU hardware for data centers and AI training—but that isn't stopping enterprising companies and individuals from managing it anyhow. A comprehensive smuggling operation is taking place overseas, and Gamers Nexus has a detailed documentary diving deeply into the process. The film highlights how little the latest hurdles have slowed Chinese access to fast AI hardware.

Chinese companies have been known to smuggle GPUs and processors into the country before, but the last six months of trade tariffs and global uncertainty have bolstered this activity many times over. Reports have emerged of over a billion dollars' worth of GPUs making their way into the country by non-official channels in the past year, and Gamers Nexus has dug into the details of how some of these smuggling endeavours work.

The documentary speaks directly to those involved in the smuggling game, who suggest it's been ongoing since the rise of cryptocurrency mining over a decade ago. The AI boom has now accelerated the process further, making GPU smuggling a huge industry worth billions of dollars.

The film highlights how, despite strict bans, China still gets access to Nvidia A100 and H100 GPUs, and even the latest RTX 5090s. The GPUs make their way into China via a complicated network of middlemen and repair shops, though VideoCardz also notes that international students sometimes bring GPUs home in their luggage (earning as much as $1,400 for each card they bring back with them).

These cards are sometimes modified locally, such as adding additional memory chips to the RTX 4090 to make it a 48GB card that's much more capable of handling AI workloads. Stripping gaming cards and making them AI-ready is a key component in the supply chain, with Chinese repair shops regularly resoldering cards to make them more applicable for the jobs the smugglers' customers are keen on performing.

The documentary is over three hours long and very comprehensive. If you have an even passing interest in GPU smuggling, it's a fascinating watch.