China’s Military-Linked University Bought Nvidia H200 Chips Despite US Sanctions

A Chinese university with military ties purchased Nvidia's H200 AI chips last month despite being on a US export blacklist, according to procurement records, highlighting gaps in Washington's technology restrictions. The university bought two chips for $123,000 from a domestic supplier. Northwestern Polytechnical University, sanctioned since 2001 for missile and military research, acquired the chips for its management school from Shaanxi Bosuan Network Technology. It also rented computing capacity with H200, A100, and A800 chips through five contracts this year. The H200 requires export licences normally denied for blacklisted institutions. The purchases reflect a broader pattern, with Reuters finding 26 records of Chinese universities and research bodies obtaining restricted Nvidia chips or computing services through domestic suppliers. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang faces congressional scrutiny over his lobbying for looser export rules, with lawmakers citing risks to US military superiority.