Chinese State-Backed Lender Finances Purchase of Restricted AI Chips
Chinese government-backed lender Semi-Tech Leasing Group Co. has financed the purchase of Nvidia's restricted AI chips for listed firm Glory View Technology Co., according to a recent report.
Filings made to China's credit registries show that Semi-Tech Leasing funded over 700 servers purchased by Glory View, including 32 Asustek Computer servers built around Nvidia's B300 chip. The B300 is part of Nvidia's Blackwell family, which has been barred from sale into China without a specific license.
Nvidia told Bloomberg it is investigating the matter with its server-manufacturing partners. Asus, the manufacturer of the Asustek Computer servers, stated that it remains committed to following international export control rules.
Semi-Tech Leasing initially filed public credit registry documents detailing the hardware specifications, supplier names, and server model numbers. However, after scrutiny began, they refiled the documents with this information stripped out, sparking concerns about the company's involvement in restricted-chip purchases.