Moonshot AI, the Chinese company behind the Kimi model family, is reportedly negotiating with at least one European data center to lease computing clusters equipped with Nvidia Blackwell GPUs, according to a CNBC report. The talks center on accessing clusters of 8,000 or more GPUs for inference workloads, with Moonshot AI European data centers also being considered as a source of training capacity. The move highlights how Chinese AI developers are seeking workarounds to U.S. export restrictions that bar them from directly purchasing advanced Nvidia chips.
A Loophole Through Overseas Leasing
Current U.S. rules prevent Chinese firms from acquiring Nvidia Blackwell and other AI GPUs that match or exceed its performance and incorporate American technology. However, renting compute from data centers located outside China has remained a permitted avenue. Moonshot AI is reportedly using that gap while it remains open. The U.S. House has passed the Remote Access Security Act to close the loophole, but the bill still requires Senate approval and the president’s signature before becoming law. Until then, Chinese AI labs can continue training models on foreign data centers that have already secured Nvidia hardware.
Why Moonshot Is Looking Abroad
The search for overseas compute comes amid a complex policy environment. Although former President Donald Trump reversed course and allowed Nvidia H200 chips to be exported to China, Beijing has blocked H200 imports at the border to shield its domestic AI chip industry. That leaves companies like Moonshot with limited options if they want the most powerful GPUs for training. Accessing European data centers offers a potential path to that capacity without directly importing restricted hardware.
Nvidia's Capacity Guidance Adds Pressure
Moonshot’s window may be narrowing for another reason. Nvidia has reportedly instructed its data center clients to limit business with Chinese entities, advising them not to allocate more than 49% of their capacity to Chinese outfits. That guidance could constrain how much GPU capacity Moonshot can lease from any single European provider. It also adds uncertainty to the strategy at a time when reports about such arrangements could increase pressure on lawmakers to advance the Remote Access Security Act.
A Broader AI Race
The developments unfold against a backdrop of U.S.-China competition in AI. Chinese open-weight models, including those from Moonshot, have trailed frontier U.S. models by only a few months. Models such as Kimi K3 are noted for being easier to run and potentially cheaper to use. Those advances have persisted despite Washington’s efforts to restrict Chinese labs’ access to hardware built with American technology through export bans.
For Moonshot, the reported European talks represent a practical attempt to secure compute before any regulatory change. Whether the negotiations lead to a signed lease remains unclear, but the company’s interest in overseas data centers underscores how export controls are shaping the geography of AI development.
