Moonshot AI Explores European Cloud Capacity for Advanced Nvidia Chips

Chinese artificial intelligence venture Moonshot AI has held discussions to lease computational power from neocloud providers operating data centers across Europe, according to people familiar with the arrangements. The developer, known for its Kimi model series, sought access to infrastructure housing Nvidia's advanced Blackwell processing units after facing tighter limits on direct hardware acquisitions under United States trade measures.

American trade restrictions prohibit direct shipments of top-tier semiconductor technology to Chinese entities, aiming to preserve a competitive lead for domestic laboratories against overseas developers. While exports into China remain restricted, remote computational arrangements through third-party server hubs outside the country present alternative avenues for international developers seeking computing scale. Moonshot had previously drawn scrutiny from Washington over remote chip utilization through facilities located in Thailand.