NVIDIA GB200 AI servers smuggled into China, despite their two-ton weight

NVIDIA GB200 AI servers are somehow being smuggled into China, even after CEO Jensen Huang says they weigh two tons and can't get there.

VIEW GALLERY - 2

Anthony Garreffa

Gaming Editor

Published Jul 24, 2025 10:10 PM CDT

2 minutes & 15 seconds read time

TL;DR: Over $1 billion worth of NVIDIA AI hardware, including GB200 AI servers and H100 GPUs, has been smuggled into China despite US export bans. Chinese black markets and distributors use trade loopholes and grey channels to supply high-end NVIDIA AI systems, highlighting challenges in enforcing chip export controls.

NVIDIA AI hardware worth over $1 billion has been smuggled into China, even the huge GB200 AI servers that weigh up to two tons, in the middle of a chip ban.

NVIDIA GB200 AI servers smuggled into China, despite their two-ton weight 61

VIEW GALLERY - 2 IMAGES

NVIDIA GB200 AI servers and AI GPUs are always available on Chinese black markets, with a new report from the Financial Times claiming that over $1 billion of AI hardware has ended up on China's AI black markets since the US government imposed strict export controls, including NVIDIA GB200 AI servers.

The Financial Times has had eyes-on with multiple sales contracts and filings, revealing that China's AI black markets are most interested in the NVIDIA GB200 AI servers, and that they're available in local markets. The US government banned the H20 AI GPU and quickly after the H20 banned, distributors were still getting their hands on them through multiple means: trade loopholes or grey channels that haven't been fixed by the US government.

The outlet reports that several Chinese provinces have a significant inventory of NVIDIA AI chips ready, including the B200, H100, and H200 AI GPUs.

Read more: NVIDIA's new B30 AI GPU planned for Q4: 10-20% slower than H20, 30-40% cheaper
Read more: NVIDIA RTX 5090 D V2 launches in China on August 12: 24GB VRAM, 600W TDP
Read more: Chinese AI companies plan new facility in China with 115,000 NVIDIA AI GPUs, even with chip ban

Chinese companies are reportedly accessing NVIDIA AI GPUs through distributors that have centers in regions like Singapore, where these AI systems are labelled under Supermicro (SMI) packaging. AI systems are available on various Chinese retail platforms, with many of these sellers even running and showing live tests of the AI racks to show the systems are legitimate. With China having high-end AI compute being sold easily on multiple platforms, it shows US export controls haven't stopped the high-end NVIDIA AI hardware from entering the country.

The biggest takeaway here is the rumor that Chinese customers are getting their hands on NVIDIA GB200 AI systems, which are not only the most sought-after AI platforms on the planet, but weigh two tons. The Financial Times wouldn't verify GB200 AI servers on Chinese markets, but many vendors are publicly confirming that Grace Blackwell AI systems are available.