# Moonshot AI sought Nvidia Blackwell capacity in Europe, CNBC reports

> The Chinese AI lab discussed renting European data-center capacity amid U.S. chip restrictions, but the talks do not confirm a deal was reached.

Oossa · 2026-11-05 · https://oossa.com/en/moonshot-ai-sought-nvidia-blackwell-capacity-in-europe-cnbc-reports

Moonshot AI, the Chinese company behind the Kimi models, has discussed renting access to Nvidia’s advanced Blackwell chips through data centers in Europe, CNBC reports, citing four people familiar with the talks. The discussions took place this year, but do not establish that Moonshot secured the computing capacity.

Three people told CNBC that Moonshot was interested in Blackwell systems, which U.S. export controls effectively bar from being imported into China. Two sources said the company was looking at European clusters for inference—the computing used to serve a model’s answers to users. One source also knew of interest in training capacity. A person familiar with the talks said arrangements for clusters with at least 8,000 Blackwell GPUs had been discussed.

## Why look beyond China?

U.S. rules restrict shipments of Nvidia’s most advanced chips to China. But companies can access computing remotely through data centers in other countries, and current law does not give U.S. regulators broad authority over overseas cloud access, CNBC reports. In July, the White House said Moonshot had accessed Blackwell chips through a facility in Thailand.

Moonshot’s search for more computing power follows a period of rapid growth for its models. The company said its Kimi K3 model, released in July, narrowed the gap with leading U.S. systems. It also said demand had stretched its capacity and that it temporarily paused new subscriptions to prioritize existing members. CNBC reports that one proposal for European capacity would have Moonshot pay 30% to 50% more upfront than a non-Chinese customer.

## A policy debate is still underway

The potential arrangements come as Washington weighs whether to regulate remote access as well as chip shipments. The Remote Access Security Act, which would expand export controls to cover cloud access to critical hardware and software, passed the House in January but has not passed the Senate. The Financial Times reported this week that Nvidia told cloud providers to sell at least 51% of services to non-Chinese customers; Nvidia’s public statement focused on the importance of U.S. infrastructure competing worldwide.

Moonshot, Nvidia and U.S. and Chinese government offices did not respond to CNBC’s requests for comment. The reporting describes discussions and proposals, not a confirmed contract or a change in access for Kimi users.

## The facts

- Four people familiar with the discussions told CNBC Moonshot had explored renting Nvidia computing capacity in Europe.
- One source said talks included clusters with 8,000 or more Blackwell GPUs.
- Two sources said Moonshot was interested in European capacity for inference; one source also knew of interest in training.
- The Remote Access Security Act passed the U.S. House in January but has not passed the Senate.

## Why it matters

For people using Moonshot’s Kimi models, more computing capacity could help the company serve users or train models, but the talks do not confirm a deal or any change to the service. The reported arrangements also highlight a gap in U.S. rules: chip shipments to China are restricted, while remote access through overseas data centers is harder to control.

## Sources & references

1. [Chinese AI lab Moonshot turned to Europe for Nvidia Blackwell access amid U.S. China curbs, sources tell CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/11/05/moonshot-ai-nvidia-chips-europe-china.html) – CNBC, 2026-11-05

Last updated: 2026-11-05