"ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, has figured out a way to access NVIDIA's latest AI chips despite export restrictions. The company is working with a firm called Aolani Cloud and building out Blackwell computing systems in Malaysia. This should give ByteDance access to around 36,000 B200 chips. That's NVIDIA's most powerful processor. The hardware buildout will reportedly cost more than $2.5 billion."
"The country has been unable to access the B200 chip, as it was designed in California and, as such, subject to US export controls. This has led some Chinese companies to do what ByteDance is doing with Aolani Cloud. The Singapore-based firm will buy up the components from NVIDIA and will operate exclusively in Malaysia, giving ByteDance access in the process."
"By design, the export rules allow clouds to be built and operated outside controlled countries. They also said that all of the company's cloud partners go through review before being approved to receive its products. A representative from Aolani Cloud stated that the company adheres to all applicable export control regulations and that ByteDance will be just one of many customers."
ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, has partnered with Singapore-based firm Aolani Cloud to access NVIDIA's B200 processors despite US export restrictions. The arrangement involves building Blackwell computing systems in Malaysia, providing ByteDance with approximately 36,000 of NVIDIA's most powerful chips at a cost exceeding $2.5 billion. Since B200 chips are subject to US export controls due to their California design, Chinese companies have adopted this workaround by establishing operations outside restricted countries. NVIDIA confirmed that export rules permit cloud infrastructure development outside controlled nations, and all cloud partners undergo review before approval. Aolani Cloud states it will serve multiple customers across Asia and globally, though ByteDance's $2.5 billion investment significantly exceeds Aolani's current $100 million hardware portfolio.
Read at Engadget
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