Chinese University Procures Nvidia Chips Despite US Sanctions

In defiance of strict US export curbs and trade blacklists, a Chinese university has procured advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) chips manufactured by US tech giant Nvidia, according to recent procurement documents cited by Al Jazeera and Reuters.

Reports indicate that Xi’an-based Northwestern Polytechnical University, located in northwestern China, bypassed US sanctions via domestic intermediaries to secure Nvidia’s state-of-the-art H200 AI training chips and rent server access. The university has been listed on the US Department of Commerce’s Entity List since 2001 over its alleged involvement in military research and missile proliferation activities.

Procurement records reveal that the university’s Cybersecurity School and other departments obtained these advanced technologies through local third-party vendors. In addition to acquiring physical H200 chips, the institution rented servers equipped with these processors as well as cloud access to restricted A100 and A800 chips.

While US regulations strictly prohibit exporting such high-tech components to blacklisted entities, these supply chain loopholes allowing China’s defense-linked institutions to access advanced hardware raise serious questions about the effectiveness of Washington’s enforcement policies. Analysts note that the incident underscores the severe challenges in preventing top-tier US AI hardware from entering China’s artificial intelligence and defense research sectors through alternative channels, despite tightened US restrictions.

Source: Al Jazeera.