Huawei Directs Customers to Black Market for AI Chip Memory Amid SanctionsThe DecoderT2·Infra

Huawei Directs Customers to Black Market for AI Chip Memory Amid Sanctions

By Maximilian SchreinerOriginal title: Huawei tells customers to find their own AI chip memory, effectively outsourcing procurement to the black market

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Facing U.S. sanctions and severe supply shortages, Huawei is directing customers to procure High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) for its AI chips independently on the black market. This scarcity has fueled a sophisticated smuggling network exploiting export control loopholes, driving HBM prices to around $4,000 per unit and leading South Korea to report record levels of illegal chip exports.

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Huawei tells customers to find their own AI chip memory, effectively outsourcing procurement to the black market

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  [Maximilian Schreiner](https://the-decoder.com/author/maximilian-schreiner/) [View the LinkedIn Profile of Maximilian Schreiner](https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximilian-schreiner-b6a5171aa/)   Nov 3, 2026

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Key Points

Facing U.S. sanctions and supply shortages, Huawei is directing customers to procure memory for its new AI chips independently on the black market.
Smugglers dodge U.S. rules by pairing HBM with low-end processors and routing them into China through Hong Kong.
The shortage has driven black market prices for HBM units to around $4,000, while South Korea reports record levels of illegal chip exports.
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Huawei can't get enough memory for its AI chips, pushing customers onto the black market. A sophisticated smuggling network has sprung up to fill the gap, exploiting a loophole in U.S. export rules.

Huawei is telling some customers to source the memory for its AI chips themselves, effectively pushing buyers onto the black market, The Information reports. The company plans to launch the Ascend 960DT early next year, which it says will double the performance of its current chips. But Huawei's Chinese suppliers can't produce enough High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM), and U.S. export rules block direct purchases from Samsung and SK Hynix. Together, those two companies control over 80 percent of the global market.

Smugglers have found a workaround. They bundle HBM with cheap server processors whose performance falls below the export threshold, then ship the packages to China through Hong Kong. Once there, workshops separate the memory chips from the processors. The process is fragile and the error rate is high, but the margins make it worth it.

Smuggled memory prices have surged to $4,000 per unit

Prices for smuggled HBM3E memory have jumped from a few hundred dollars to around $4,000 per unit in just one year, according to a broker in Shenzhen. Each AI chip needs six to eight units, meaning the memory alone can cost up to $32,000.

The black market doesn't run on smuggling alone. Older Nvidia GPUs stripped for parts and excess inventory from chip designers who scrapped projects or cut orders also feed the supply. South Korea's customs authority had uncovered trade violations worth $560 million by May, already surpassing the previous full-year record. A third of that total involved strategic goods like chips exported without proper authorization or with false declarations.