Smuggled Nvidia Cards Found After High-Speed Boat Chase (kotaku.com)
 
Only a week after a Chinese bust involving cheat makers and luxury cars, authorities have seized hundreds of smuggled Nvidia cards after a speedboat chase in the waters near Hong Kong international airport. As Tom’s Hardware have translated, from Chinese outlet TVB News, over the weekend police saw a fishing boat anchored suspiciously close to the airport at 2am in the morning, and upon investigating found men moving cargo from the fishing boat onto a nearby speedboat. As the police approached “the shady men hopped on the speedboat and sped away towards mainland waters”, with the cops pursuing in “a high-speed boat chase”. The smugglers managed to escape, but authorities then doubled back and searched the fishing boat, where they found shark fins, smartphones and “up to 300 unidentified graphics cards”. While not carrying any markings, it’s believed the cards are Nvidia CMP 30HXs, GPUs made specifically for cryptomining which, while not very good at their job, are nevertheless in high demand at the moment with global shortages affecting the supply of more desirable hardware.
 
Who would have thought that GPUs are now being smuggled? I certainly didn't. 

This whole GPU shortage thing is beyond ridiculous...

bdary
This whole GPU shortage thing is beyond ridiculous...

+1000!

they paniced
 
the cards are not illegal to own - only illegal to use for crypto mining in china (not everywhere - just some provinces)
whats illegal about owning them and reselling to 3rd parties in other countries
 
sure it would have sent red flags up that you maybe using them for a mining operation and had gov surveillance after that
 
the problem they may have faced would be customs and duties - bypassing any duties
 
 
what you have to know
 
it's only banned in some provinces 
60% of world's bitcoin mining  comes from china
 
https://www.buybitcoinworldwide.com/mining/china/
 
 

aka_STEVE_b
Sad when drug dealers have switched over to videocards because the profit levels are just too high to ignore !!! 

This is just standard grey/black market Hong Kong Hijinks. 

These damn miners are hogging video cards and I am inclined to sue the exchanges to squeeze a few cards out of them.
 
 

I can see a action packed mining movie in the foreseeable future with fast boast, bikes, explosions, prostitutes, etc.  The high stakes life of a millionaire miner.

Ibbanez

GTXJackBauer
I can see a action packed mining movie in the foreseeable future with fast boast, bikes, explosions, prostitutes, etc.  The high stakes life of a millionaire miner.

lol, I'd probably watch it..... just sayin.

Bruce Willis takes the lead !

Lucidpheonix
Nice, wonder when Fast n Furious X1: GPU Heist is coming out then!

That's hilarious, and it would probably sell just as many tickets ;p

Lucidpheonix
Nice, wonder when Fast n Furious X1: GPU Heist is coming out then!

What will be the sequel? Something revolving around PS5 I guess. As the same phenomen plagues the console market as well.

Oh this is just too much

Ibbanez

Lucidpheonix
Nice, wonder when Fast n Furious X1: GPU Heist is coming out then!

That's hilarious, and it would probably sell just as many tickets ;p

 
IIRC the original TFTF movie had them hijacking trucks full of.....DVD players.

If I had watched a movie 10 years ago about a global GPU shortages with high speed boat chases, I would have thought 'that'd never happen'.... But here we are

I mean a lot of times these cards are being stolen/smuggled by workers from the factory or foundry. That could get them in more trouble than simply using for mining

how much u wanna bet el chapo is behind the gpu shortage