Chinese artificial intelligence startup Moonshot obtained access to Nvidia’s most advanced GPUs this summer, according to documents filed with Beijing regulators and reported by Bloomberg.
The filings show Moonshot signed a contract in August to rent 32 servers from Super Micro Computer Inc that are equipped with Nvidia B300 graphics processing units - described in the filings as the most advanced AI processors available.
Moonshot has released one of China’s more sophisticated AI models, and the August agreement is presented in the regulatory documents as a mechanism for the company to use cutting-edge hardware despite restrictions on direct sales of high-end chips to China.
Since at least 2022, the flow of Nvidia’s top-tier processors into mainland China has been effectively curtailed. Local AI developers, however, have sought alternatives by renting servers located outside China, with Southeast Asian hubs such as Malaysia cited in reports as common locations for these offshore arrangements.
The practice of accessing offshore servers is not unique to Moonshot. Earlier this year, contracts were observed that provided Alibaba and Bytedance with access to Nvidia chips hosted outside China, indicating a broader industry pattern of relying on rented infrastructure to obtain advanced accelerators.
Super Micro, the vendor named in Moonshot’s contract, has separately been connected with a Department of Justice inquiry into unlawful chip sales to China by three of its employees, according to public reporting. That probe and the use of offshore rentals together underline the legal and compliance questions surrounding the transfer and use of advanced semiconductor technology.
The filings naming Moonshot, along with the broader pattern of offshore rentals, highlight the persistent pull of Nvidia hardware across China’s AI sector, even as Beijing promotes domestically developed alternatives.
Context and market implications
- The transaction illustrates demand within China’s AI industry for top-tier Nvidia chips despite export controls and political concerns.
- Offshore server rentals are serving as a practical workaround for accessing restricted hardware, affecting cloud and data center service patterns in the region.
- Supplier and legal risks are elevated where vendors and their employees may face scrutiny from U.S. authorities.