Chinese university bought Nvidia H200 chips despite US blacklist

Procurement records show that Northwestern Polytechnical University, a Chinese institution with military research ties and a US export blacklist designation, bought two Nvidia H200 AI chips for 874,700 yuan, about $123,000, through a domestic supplier in October. The university also paid Chinese companies for access to servers containing H200, A100 and A800 chips, including systems used for AI model training. US rules generally bar exports of controlled technology to the university, and the restrictions on A100 and A800 chips apply broadly to China. The records do not establish where the processors came from or where the rented servers were located, but they show how domestic purchases and computing services can give restricted institutions access to US hardware.

A review of 26 procurement and corporate records found similar purchases or rentals by other Chinese universities and research bodies, some linked to military or defence research. Examples include Shenzhen University’s purchase of H100 chips, Beihang University’s acquisition of A800 processors, and institutions obtaining services powered by restricted Nvidia chips. The findings underline limits in Washington’s effort to restrict China’s access to advanced AI computing, even as US lawmakers press for tighter monitoring and oversight. The issue has intensified scrutiny of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who advocates allowing some sales to China, arguing that US companies should retain technological leadership and Chinese customers. The US administration permits some H200 exports under case-by-case review, but that policy does not remove the separate restrictions on blacklisted organizations.