Chinese AI Startup Moonshot Seeks More Nvidia Blackwell Chips for Next Model

Beijing-based startup Moonshot AI, flush from the breakout success of its recently released model, Kimi K3, is already discussing plans for Kimi K4, which would be significantly larger in size than K3, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. There’s just one problem: To train that new model, Moonshot would need access to more of Nvidia’s advanced AI chips, which U.S. rules dictate should not be available to Chinese firms.

Despite those restrictions, Moonshot trained Kimi K3—the world’s largest open-source model, with 2.8 trillion parameters—on Nvidia chips, including the most advanced Blackwell ones, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, confirming part of a statement in an X post by White House senior official Michael Kratsios. Moonshot is now seeking access to more Blackwell chips to prepare for the development of future-generation models such as K4, according to two of the people.