TLDR
- Chinese AI firms are trying to rent Nvidia-powered computing capacity at data centers outside China, three sources told Reuters.
- They fear a scandal involving Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang could lead the US to tighten rules on remote chip access.
- The Remote Access Security Act passed the House 369-22 in January and awaits a Senate vote.
- Grey-market traders in China are stockpiling restricted Nvidia chips.
- Nvidia shares were down 6.15% in recent trading and are down 9.4% this year.
Chinese artificial intelligence companies are trying to rent Nvidia-powered computing capacity at data centers outside China. Three people familiar with the matter told Reuters about the effort.
CHINESE AI FIRMS ARE RUSHING TO RENT NVIDIA $NVDA CHIP CAPACITY AT DATA CENTERS OUTSIDE CHINA, FEARING THE HUANG SPY SCANDAL COULD SPUR US CURBS ON REMOTE ACCESS; GREY-MARKET TRADERS ARE STOCKPILING RESTRICTED NVIDIA CHIPS: REUTERS
— Wall St Engine (@wallstengine) November 12, 2026
The companies are worried that a scandal involving Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang could push Washington to tighten rules on remote chip use. They want to lock in capacity before any change.
How Chinese Firms Use Overseas Data Centers
The United States limits exports of Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips to China. Chinese firms can still reach similar chips by renting computing power at data centers abroad.
A major Chinese cloud provider has discussed internally whether to lock in overseas Nvidia capacity. Some companies have also contacted data center operators about reserving it.
Smaller AI labs are weighing similar steps. Two of the people said they are approaching major providers of rented computing power in Southeast Asia.
The sources declined to be named, and they did not name the cloud provider. They said the matter is sensitive.
Advanced Nvidia chips train and run the large AI models behind chatbots and other generative AI tools. Limiting overseas cloud access would make it harder for Chinese developers to get high-end computing power without importing chips directly.
The Bill Behind the Concern
The firms fear the controversy could add momentum to the Remote Access Security Act, known as RASA. The bill would give the Commerce Department power to regulate remote, cloud-based access to restricted technology.
The House of Representatives passed the bill in January by a 369-22 vote. It now awaits action in the Senate.
Huang said on Sunday that he had been unfaithful to his wife. The New York Times reported the woman was Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based cloud company Megaspeed.
The Times also reported that US authorities had concluded she was a Chinese intelligence asset. Reuters could not verify that claim, and China has denied it.
Two people said Alice Huang had business and investment ties with Chinese tech firms, including Tencent and Alibaba. Neither company responded to requests for comment.
Singapore filings show an Alibaba subsidiary, Apex Enterprise Solutions, financed Speedmatrix, a Malaysian company linked to Megaspeed. Megaspeed has faced scrutiny over suspicions it helped Chinese customers reach restricted chips, which it denies.
Grey-market traders in China have also started stockpiling restricted Nvidia chips, two sources said. A Chinese university tied to the People’s Liberation Army bought H200 chips last month despite being on a US export blacklist.
In March, US prosecutors charged Super Micro Computer co-founder Yih-Shyan “Wally” Liaw and two others with conspiring to divert Nvidia-powered servers to China. Prosecutors said the company bought about $2.5 billion of servers from Super Micro between 2024 and 2025. The defendants have not been convicted.
Nvidia shares were down 6.15% in recent trading and are down 9.4% this year. On TipRanks, the stock has a Strong Buy rating, based on 32 Buy ratings and three Holds, with an average price target of $311.17.
