Chinese military-linked university bought Nvidia H200 chips despite US blacklist

A Chinese university with military ties purchased Nvidia's H200 AI chips last month despite being on a US export blacklist, procurement records show, exposing gaps in Washington's technology curbs. The purchase occurred as Nvidia faces scrutiny over CEO Jensen Huang's lobbying for looser sales restrictions. Northwestern Polytechnical University bought two H200 chips for $123,000 through domestic supplier Shaanxi Bosuan Network Technology, not directly from Nvidia. The university, sanctioned since 2001 for missile-proliferation and military research, also rented access to H200, A100, and A800 chips through five contracts this year. US rules normally deny export licences to blacklisted institutions. A Reuters review found 26 similar cases of Chinese universities acquiring restricted Nvidia chips or computing services through domestic suppliers. Other buyers included Shenzhen University, Wuhan University of Technology, and Beihang University. The January licensing rules permitting some H200 exports require safeguards preventing blacklisted entities from accessing chips remotely.