Chinese AI Firms Race to Lock In Offshore Nvidia Capacity

Chinese AI companies are trying to rent Nvidia-powered computing capacity at data centres outside China, Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the matter. The driver: fear that the scandal engulfing CEO Jensen Huang will give Washington the political cover to close the overseas-rental loophole that still gives Chinese labs remote access to Nvidia's most advanced AI chips.

A major Chinese cloud provider has discussed internally whether to lock in overseas Nvidia chip capacity, Reuters says, while other firms have contacted data-centre operators about reserving it. Smaller AI labs are considering similar steps, including approaching major providers of rented computing power in Southeast Asia, according to two of the sources. The cloud provider and companies involved declined to be publicly identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The specific bill on their radar is the Remote Access Security Act, or RASA, which would give the Commerce Department authority to regulate remote, cloud-based access to restricted technology. The House of Representatives passed it 369-22 in January; the Senate has not yet acted.

Nvidia has already flagged the exposure in its own paperwork. In its 10-Q filed on 26 August 2026, the company warned that if RASA is enacted, it "could have a material impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition."

The prospect of tougher enforcement has also fuelled demand for restricted Nvidia AI chips in China's grey market, prompting traders and intermediaries to start stockpiling the processors, two of Reuters' sources said. The story lands amid a dense run of related coverage this week, including our pieces on the Singapore revenue disclosure and the Warren-Coons demand that Trump officials preserve Nvidia-China records.