ATLANTA — An Atlanta man is among three people accused of conspiring to illegally export artificial intelligence computer chips to another country faces charges.

U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg says 53-year-old Tommy Shad English and his co-defendants face smuggling charges.

“The items involved here are highly sensitive and powerful computer chips. If they got into the wrong hands, they could threaten the national security as well as the competitive advantage of the United States,” Hertzberg said.

Stanley Yi Zheng and Matthew Kelly are also charged with conspiring to commit smuggling and export control violations.

The three defendants are accused of seeking millions of dollars’ worth of export-controlled computer chips from a California-based computer hardware company for illegal shipment through Thailand.

“Protecting sensitive defense technology from diversion to foreign adversaries is a top priority. Advanced computing technologies, like Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), play a critical role in military artificial intelligence and national defense capabilities,” Special Agent-in-Charge Jason J. Sargenski of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service

“Keeping sensitive tech from falling into the wrong hands is a matter of utmost importance to our national security and U.S. competitiveness,” Hertzberg added.