HBM Shortage Forces Huawei Customers to Turn to Black Market for High-Priced Supplies
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According to The Information (as reported by The Decoder), in early November 2026 it emerged that due to insufficient HBM memory supply, Huawei asked some customers to procure the memory needed for its AI chips themselves — effectively pushing buyers onto the black market. On the smuggling side, traffickers bundled HBM with cheap server processors that fall below the US export control threshold, shipped them via Hong Kong into mainland China, and then separated them. On pricing, smuggled HBM3E chips rose from a few hundred dollars to about $4,000 per chip within a year. Since each AI chip requires 6 to 8 HBM chips, memory costs alone can reach up to $32,000. There has been no official response from Huawei or further developments reported on the matter so far.
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- The DecoderHuawei tells customers to find their own AI chip memory, effectively outsourcing procurement to the black market
According to The Information, Huawei, facing HBM shortages, has asked some customers to source their own memory for AI chips, effectively pushing buyers to the black market. Smugglers bundle HBM with low-cost server processors below US export thresholds, shipping them via Hong Kong into China for splitting. Smuggled HBM3E prices have risen from a few hundred dollars to about $4,000 per unit within a year, and each AI chip needs 6 to 8 units, so memory alone can cost up to $32,000.
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