Nvidia’s advanced B300 AI servers are reportedly selling for nearly 7 million yuan, around $1 million, in China as stricter US export controls and anti-smuggling crackdowns sharply reduce supply. According to industry sources, prices have almost doubled from roughly 4 million yuan late last year, creating a major scarcity premium in the Chinese grey market.
The B300 server, equipped with eight B300 GPUs, costs around $550,000 in the United States, but Chinese demand for high-end AI computing has pushed prices far beyond that level. Chinese technology companies are aggressively seeking cost-efficient hardware to power AI inference and token generation, while many remain cautious about directly holding Nvidia systems due to sanctions concerns.
Reuters reports that pressure increased after US authorities prosecuted Supermicro co-founder Wally Liaw in March, disrupting key black-market supply channels. Nvidia emphasized that B300 systems are restricted from sale in China and warned that unauthorized diversion would receive no support or service from the company.
Some Chinese firms unable to afford direct purchases are instead turning to rentals, with short-term annual contracts reaching 190,000 yuan per month. At the same time, domestic players like Huawei are trying to capitalize on Nvidia’s restricted access, challenging Nvidia’s estimated 55% Chinese AI chip market share.
The surge highlights how geopolitical restrictions are reshaping China’s AI infrastructure market, driving up costs while accelerating local competition in advanced computing hardware.