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The U.S. governmentS efforts to restrict China’s access to advanced artificial intelligence technology face new challenges, as evidenced by a recent workaround involving nvidia’s Blackwell GPUs. Despite export controls aimed at limiting China’s AI development, a new report details how a Shanghai-based startup appears to have secured thousands of the cutting-edge chips through a partnership with an Indonesian telecommunications firm. This complex transaction underscores the difficulties in policing the global flow of sensitive technology and highlights the lengths to which companies are going to navigate international trade restrictions.
The U.S. government is restricting China’s access to Nvidia’s most advanced GPUs, including the recently released Blackwell chip, a key component in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence industry.
The Blackwell GPU is specifically designed for modern AI computing needs, including large language models (LLMs) like GPT, and offers significantly increased speed and efficiency compared to previous generations like the H100.
Despite the export restrictions, a new report indicates that China may be circumventing the ban through a partnership with Indonesian telecommunications firm Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH). According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Shanghai-based AI startup INF Tech secured access to 2,300 Nvidia Blackwell AI GPUs via Indosat Ooredoo.
The process began with Nvidia selling the chips to Aivres, a California-based server AI builder and partner. Some parties claim a portion of Aivres is owned by Inspur, a Chinese technology company placed on the U.S. blacklist in 2023, though this claim remains unverified.
Aivres, as a U.S.-based company, is not directly impacted by the export restrictions, provided it adheres to U.S. regulations. This allowed Indosat Ooredoo to acquire the Nvidia Blackwell chips.
Indosat Ooredoo reportedly purchased 32 Nvidia GB200 server racks – each containing 72 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs – totaling 2,304 units. The transaction is estimated to be worth approximately $100 million (around Rp 1.6 trillion).
The Indonesian telecom firm reportedly only proceeded with the purchase after securing a commitment from INF Tech to utilize the GPUs. Following the contract signing, the server racks were reportedly installed in Jakarta in October 2025.
INF Tech is essentially leasing the Nvidia Blackwell GPUs from Indosat Ooredoo, a structure that, on paper, allows the transaction to proceed despite the restrictions on direct sales to Chinese entities. This workaround highlights the complexities of enforcing export controls in a globalized technology supply chain.
INF Tech told the Wall Street Journal that it complies with U.S. export controls and does not conduct research related to military applications.
Indosat Ooredoo CEO Vikram Sinha stated that the company collaborates with multinational corporations but ensures its customers comply with all applicable regulations. “Every customer outside of Indonesia is subject to the same rules, whether they are a U.S. or Chinese company. If they comply with all regulations, we support them,” Sinha told the publication.
