Science & Tech · AI · 1 hr ago
Moonshot AI Reportedly Seeks Nvidia Chip Access Through European Data Centers
Chinese AI lab Moonshot AI has sought access to Nvidia chips through European data centers, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The Beijing-based company makes the Kimi family of AI models and is competing with U.S. developers such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
Talks have involved renting clusters with 8,000 or more Blackwell GPUs, though no deal was confirmed.
Moonshot was interested in computing power for inference, which serves models to users, and sources also said it had interest in training capacity.
U.S. export controls restrict the chips’ shipment to China, but overseas cloud services can offer remote access under rules that currently give regulators limited authority over such access.
The White House said Moonshot had accessed Blackwell chips through Thailand in July, and discussions about European capacity reportedly took place afterward.
More access to Nvidia computing power could increase pressure on U.S. AI rivals, but no next step or agreement was reported.
Moonshot AI has sought access to Nvidia Blackwell chips through data centers in Europe, according to sources cited by CNBC.
Talks this year included renting capacity from European data centers or neoclouds hosting Nvidia GPUs.
One source said discussions involved clusters of 8,000 or more Blackwell GPUs.
Moonshot was interested in capacity for inference and, according to one source, training.
The reported effort comes amid U.S. export controls that restrict shipments of Nvidia’s most advanced chips to China.
- Who
- Moonshot AI, a Chinese artificial intelligence lab that makes the Kimi family of models.
- What
- It reportedly sought to rent access to Nvidia Blackwell GPUs through European data centers.
- When
- Talks took place this year; the reports were published on November 5, 2026.
- Where
- Data centers in Europe.
- Why
- Moonshot sought computing capacity for inference and was also interested in training capacity. U.S. export controls restrict shipments of the advanced chips to China.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Moonshot AI was founded.
The White House said Moonshot had accessed Nvidia Blackwell chips via a facility in Thailand.
Talks took place about Moonshot securing computing capacity in Europe, according to one source.
CNBC and Tom's Hardware reported Moonshot's interest in European access to Nvidia chips.
- Company
- Moonshot AI
- Chip system
- Nvidia Blackwell
- Reported cluster size
- 8,000 or more GPUs
- Location
- Data centers in Europe
- Talks reported
- 2026
3 sources
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