Fresh tensions have emerged between Washington and Beijing after the Trump administration accused Moonshot AI of using Anthropic’s proprietary artificial intelligence technology to develop its flagship Kimi K3 model.

US officials also alleged that the Chinese startup obtained advanced Nvidia AI hardware despite existing US export restrictions. The accusations mark the latest escalation in efforts to limit China’s progress in advanced artificial intelligence.

Chinese officials rejected the claims, calling them politically motivated and lacking any factual basis.

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US Raises Technology Theft Allegations

Michael Kratsios, a senior technology official in the Trump administration, said US intelligence indicated that Moonshot AI relied on Anthropic’s frontier AI model, Fable, during the development of Kimi K3.

In a post on X, Kratsios alleged that the company had “distilled” Anthropic’s technology to build its own model.

He described the alleged activity as a large-scale and covert effort to steal proprietary US technology and undermine American AI research.

Export Control Concerns Add to Dispute

US officials also raised concerns that Moonshot AI gained access to advanced Nvidia AI chips despite American export controls designed to restrict the transfer of cutting-edge technology to China.

The allegations could lead to additional US sanctions or tighter restrictions on Chinese AI firms as Washington continues to strengthen its technology controls.

China Rejects the Accusations

Chinese authorities strongly denied the allegations and dismissed them as politically motivated.

Officials said the claims lacked factual evidence and accused the United States of attempting to slow China’s technological development through trade and technology restrictions.

The dispute adds another layer to the growing competition between the world’s two largest economies over artificial intelligence, semiconductor technology and access to advanced computing hardware.