Going through Japan: Acquiring NVIDIA B200 Advanced Computing Power via Third Parties
Although H200 is expected to be unblocked, the most advanced Blackwell series from NVIDIA (such as the B200 chip) remains strictly regulated. According to a report by the Financial Times, some companies have used a "foreign cloud computing" model that is legally questionable but geopolitically controversial, utilizing cutting-edge chips held by Japanese companies.
The report indicates that a data center operated by Japanese software service provider Datasection on the outskirts of Osaka has become a key node in this strategy. After transitioning into an AI data center operator last year, Datasection signed a contract worth over $1.2 billion (approximately 8.7 billion yuan) with a major client. A source confirmed that this major client, who obtained the technology through a third-party partnership, is from a neighboring country.
Norihiko Ishihara, CEO of Datasection, admitted that current AI model training demands are growing exponentially, and 5,000 B200 chips are no longer sufficient, with 10,000 becoming the "minimum threshold." By leasing 15,000 Blackwell processors from the company, enterprises can legally train their core AI models abroad without directly importing hardware.
According to Lin Qingyuan, an analyst at Bernstein Research quoted by the Financial Times, compared to purchasing hardware that may face multiple layers of regulatory approvals, renting overseas cloud computing power has become a more attractive alternative for some companies unable to obtain NVIDIA's most advanced processors.
The Trump administration abolished regulations from the Biden era aimed at closing the "overseas cloud computing loophole" in May this year, which directly contributed to the rise of AI data centers equipped with Blackwell processors across Asia.
Source: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1853535683502345/
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