Chinese Universities Acquire Restricted Nvidia AI Chips Despite US Trade Blacklist

Public procurement documents show several Chinese universities, including military-linked institutions on the US Entity List, obtained restricted Nvidia AI chips through domestic resellers and computing rentals. The transactions reveal how advanced American computing power continues to reach Chinese research organizations despite strict US export controls.

• Northwestern Polytechnical University purchased two Nvidia H200 AI chips for 874,700 yuan ($123,000) from Shaanxi Bosuan Network Technology despite being blacklisted by the US since 2001.· 3 sources
• In addition to physical chip purchases, Chinese research institutions signed multiple contracts to remotely rent server capacity powered by restricted Nvidia H200, A100, and A800 processors for AI model training and simulations.· 2 sources
• A review of 26 corporate and procurement records revealed broader access to restricted processors across Chinese universities, including purchases of H100 and A800 chips by Shenzhen University, Wuhan University of Technology, and Beihang University.· 2 sources
• The transactions occur alongside mounting scrutiny from US lawmakers over export controls, with both parties demanding stricter tracking of advanced semiconductor exports.· 2 sources