Moonshot AI Reportedly Seeks Nvidia Blackwell Access Through European Data Centers

Chinese AI lab Moonshot AI has explored renting Nvidia Blackwell computing power from data centers in Europe, according to sources cited by CNBC.

Deals discussed this year would see Moonshot lease capacity from neoclouds hosting Nvidia GPUs at European facilities, four people familiar with the matter said. Three sources said the company was specifically after Blackwell systems, which U.S. export controls effectively bar from being imported into China.

The report follows the White House's July claim that Moonshot had accessed Blackwell chips through a facility in Thailand. Remote access via overseas data centers is seen as a loophole, since current law gives regulators limited authority over cloud-based access to such hardware.

One source said talks covered clusters of 8,000 or more Blackwell GPUs, describing Moonshot as "very aggressive" in chasing compute. Another said a proposal would have Moonshot pay 30% to 50% more upfront than a non-Chinese buyer.

Moonshot, Nvidia, the White House, the Commerce Department and Chinese officials did not respond to requests for comment. Lawmakers have proposed the Remote Access Security Act to extend export controls to cloud access; it passed the House in January but not the Senate.

Source: CNBC