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ByteDance plans to deploy 36,000 Nvidia Blackwell B200 chips in Malaysia through Aolani Cloud partnership
Friday, March 13, 2026 at 03:50 AM
ByteDance is reportedly collaborating with Southeast Asian firm Aolani Cloud to deploy approximately 36,000 Nvidia B200 chips in Malaysia. The infrastructure project involves the use of 500 Nvidia Blackwell computing systems to expand their data center capabilities in the region.
Context
ByteDance is reportedly bypassing U.S. export restrictions on advanced AI hardware by deploying a massive cluster of Nvidia Blackwell B200 chips in Malaysia. Through a partnership with Aolani Cloud, a certified tier-1 Nvidia partner, the TikTok parent company plans to utilize approximately 500 computing systems containing roughly 36,000 B200 chips. This infrastructure build-out is estimated to cost more than $2.5 billion and marks a significant escalation in ByteDance's global AI research and development efforts outside of mainland China.
The deal highlights a critical regulatory loophole where Chinese firms can legally access restricted silicon by leasing capacity from third-party data centers in neutral territories. Nvidia has confirmed that these cloud partnerships undergo strict internal reviews and comply with current U.S. Department of Commerce export rules, which allow for the operation of high-end clusters outside of controlled countries. This move follows reports that ByteDance has already been leasing H100 systems in Malaysia since early 2025 and is considering a further 7,000-chip deployment in Indonesia to meet surging global demand for its AI services.
Sources (10)
The Engine Behind AI Factories | NVIDIA Blackwell Architecture[PDF] NVIDIA RTX BLACKWELL GPU ARCHITECTUREChina's ByteDance gets access to top Nvidia AI chips, WSJ reports | ReutersByteDance to build $2.5b Nvidia AI systems in MalaysiaChina's ByteDance Gets Access to Top Nvidia AI Chips - WSJChina's ByteDance to access 36,000 Blackwell GPU cluster through Malaysia cloud operator — Nvidia confirms no objections, deal is in line with US export controls | Tom's HardwareBlackwell (microarchitecture) - WikipediaChina's ByteDance Outsmarts US Sanctions With Offshore Nvidia AI Buildout - NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) - Benzinga
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