Chinese AI Firms Access Banned Nvidia Chips via Southeast Asian Data Centers

A CNBC report reveals that companies like Moonshot AI, ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent are tapping into Nvidia's restricted computing power through data centers in Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, and other Southeast Asian countries. This approach allows them to sidestep U.S. export bans that limit Nvidia's chip sales to Chinese businesses. Instead of directly importing the hardware, these firms are renting computing resources from locations outside mainland China. The situation highlights the intense tech rivalry between the U.S. and China, emphasizing the role of Southeast Asia in global AI development. So far, neither the companies involved nor Nvidia has commented, but this workaround could draw more scrutiny from Washington.