Customs at KLIA have seized 30 servers containing high-performance artificial intelligence chips, worth nearly RM49.5 million, that could potentially be used to develop military technology.
KLIA customs director Aspalila Ag Tuah said the seizure was made during an inspection of a warehouse in the KLIA Free Trade Zone on 15 October. The servers had been brought in from an Asian country under a single air waybill declaring them as electronic components, allegedly to avoid detection.
She said the syndicate used Malaysia as a transit point so that there would be no restrictions on exporting the servers to their next destination. The brands, countries of origin and destinations could not be disclosed as investigations are ongoing.
Advanced AI chips are classified as dual-use items under the Strategic Trade Act 2010, and a directive issued in 2025 requires a permit for the export, transit and transshipment of such chips above set performance thresholds.
Aspalila said it was the fifth case involving the same syndicate this year, with seizures across the five cases worth more than RM100 million.