Chinese university with military ties 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, according to procurement records, highlighting gaps in Washington's efforts to curb China's access to advanced technology. Northwestern Polytechnical University, a member of China's "Seven Sons of National Defense" group, bought two H200 chips for $123,000 through a domestic supplier, Shaanxi Bosuan Network Technology, rather than directly from Nvidia. The university also rented access to additional H200 and other restricted Nvidia chips through five contracts this year. The purchases come as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang faces scrutiny in Washington over lobbying for looser AI chip export restrictions, with some lawmakers arguing such chips could speed China's military AI development. Three Republican committee chairmen have requested a briefing with Huang on November 18.