Updated
Updated · CNBC · Aug 19
U.S. Eyes RASA to Block Chinese Remote Use of Nvidia GB300 Chips
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Aug 19

U.S. Eyes RASA to Block Chinese Remote Use of Nvidia GB300 Chips

3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Aug 19

Summary

  • Chinese firms have reportedly trained AI models on Nvidia GB300 compute through data centers in Thailand, Malaysia and Japan, exposing a gap in U.S. export controls that cover physical chip sales but not remote access.
  • RASA, a bill that passed the House in January, would extend controls to cloud-based access to critical hardware and software, though it still awaits Senate approval and would require follow-on rules to take effect.
  • Moonshot AI, DeepSeek and Alibaba are part of a recent wave of stronger Chinese models; a White House official last month accused Moonshot of using GB300 chips via a Thai facility less than a week after Kimi K3 launched.
  • Southeast Asia's data-center boom is making the loophole harder to police: JLL sees global capacity roughly doubling to 200GW by 2030, while DC Byte counts 31 planned 100MW-plus sites across Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand versus two today.
  • Policy experts say BIS could issue a rule within days with White House backing, but enforcement would hinge on defining covered compute, identifying barred users and imposing know-your-customer checks on cloud providers.

Insights

Could booming data centers in Southeast Asia secretly become the ultimate loophole in the global AI supremacy race?
Will shutting down remote cloud access cripple tech giants, or simply force them to build unstoppable underground infrastructures?