Moonshot AI sought Nvidia Blackwell capacity in European data centres, sources tell CNBC
Four people say the Kimi maker discussed renting capacity from European neoclouds this year, including clusters of 8,000 or more Blackwell GPUs; Moonshot, Nvidia and the White House did not comment.
Why it matters
US export controls bar Blackwell shipments to China, but current law gives regulators little authority over Chinese firms renting such chips in overseas clouds. CNBC's report follows the White House's July claim that Moonshot reached Blackwell chips through a facility in Thailand, and suggests the remote-access route has widened to Europe. Moonshot paused new Kimi subscriptions around the K3 launch because demand outran capacity. Watch for any Commerce Department move on cloud access and whether European neoclouds confirm or deny the talks.
Key facts
- Four people familiar spoke to CNBC
- Talks to rent European neocloud capacity took place this year
- Clusters of 8,000 or more Blackwell GPUs discussed, one source said
- Mainly for inference, possibly training
- White House said in July Moonshot used Blackwell via Thailand
- Moonshot, Nvidia, White House and Commerce did not comment