Tencent is reportedly accessing Nvidia's advanced AI chips, despite US restrictions, through a deal with Japanese cloud provider Datasection. Datasection will acquire Nvidia's Blackwell GPUs for data centres in Japan and Australia, with Tencent utilising the data centres. This arrangement allows Tencent to bypass US export controls, raising concerns in Washington about potential loopholes.
Datasection faced funding challenges from Japanese banks due to Tencent's involvement and secured investment through warrants from Singapore-based First Plus Financial. Nvidia has stated that allowing approved firms to build and operate clouds outside controlled countries is critical for maintaining American technology leadership.
Tencent has also been optimising its AI operations through software improvements to drive efficiency and reduce reliance on GPUs. The company is also diversifying its cloud strategy to include CPU-based computing and database services.
