Exclusive-China's Moonshot in talks with Microsoft, Amazon, Google over K3 revenue sharing, sources say
China's Moonshot AI is negotiating revenue-sharing agreements with Microsoft, Amazon, and Google to host its Kimi K3 model. These discussions could lead to the first major revenue-sharing pact between a Chinese AI firm and a leading U.S. cloud provider. Moonshot is seeking up to a 30% share of revenue from K3-related services on Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud. The talks highlight the growing traction of Chinese AI models in the U.S. market, despite ongoing national security concerns and U.S. officials' critical comments about Moonshot.
The potential revenue-sharing agreements between China's Moonshot AI and U.S. cloud giants Microsoft, Amazon, and Google mark a significant development for the Asian AI sector. This move suggests that even with geopolitical tensions and export restrictions on AI chips, high-performing Chinese models like Kimi K3 are finding pathways to global enterprise adoption. The discussions reflect a pragmatic approach from U.S. cloud providers to integrate competitive AI offerings, potentially opening new revenue streams for both sides. The key challenge for Moonshot will be navigating U.S. regulatory scrutiny, especially given past accusations of intellectual property theft and concerns from officials like Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. While Moonshot has rejected these claims, the success of these negotiations will depend on resolving issues around revenue splits, data access, and token usage auditing. For Asian AI firms, this could set a precedent for expanding their reach into Western markets, provided they can address compliance and trust concerns.
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