ByteDance Gains Access to Nvidia Blackwell AI Chips via Malaysia

Chinese tech giant ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has secured access to Nvidia most advanced Blackwell AI chips through a partnership with Southeast Asian cloud provider Aolani Cloud, according to Wall Street Journal reports.

ByteDance is working with Aolani Cloud to deploy approximately 500 Nvidia Blackwell computing systems in Malaysia, totaling roughly 36,000 B200 chips, the WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

This development comes despite US export restrictions that typically bar the sale of advanced AI chips to mainland China. By partnering with a Southeast Asian company, ByteDance appears to have found a way to access cutting-edge AI computing power.

The partnership allows ByteDance to build AI infrastructure outside China, potentially for research and development purposes. Aolani Cloud is described as a Tier 1 Nvidia cloud partner, meaning it gets priority access to Nvidia latest chips directly from the company.

This move highlights the ongoing tension between US export controls and Chinese tech companies efforts to access advanced AI technology. Despite restrictions, Chinese companies continue to find ways to obtain the computing power needed for AI development.

The deployment in Malaysia represents a significant investment in AI infrastructure in Southeast Asia, a region increasingly important in the global AI race.

*参考来源: Reuters