Military-Linked Chinese University Acquired Blacklisted Nvidia AI Chips, Records Show
Northwestern Polytechnical University, a Chinese institution with strong ties to the People's Liberation Army and under U.S. export sanctions, purchased Nvidia's advanced H200 AI chips last month. Procurement records from October 21 show the university acquired two H200 chips for 874,700 yuan ($123,000). The H200 is one of Nvidia's most powerful chips for training and running advanced AI systems and is subject to U.S. export license approvals, which are typically denied for blacklisted entities like Northwestern Polytechnical. The university, part of China's 'Seven Sons of National Defense' group, has a history of conducting defense-related research for Beijing. The chips were purchased from Shaanxi Bosuan Network Technology, not directly from Nvidia. Additionally, Northwestern Polytechnical secured access to H200 chips and other powerful Nvidia AI processors this year through five contracts for rented computing capacity from Chinese companies.
