PLA-linked Chinese university bought Nvidia H200 chips despite US blacklist, records show

Northwestern Polytechnical University, a Chinese institution with links to the People’s Liberation Army, bought two Nvidia H200 AI chips in October despite being on the US export blacklist. The procurement records highlight how restricted American computing power may still reach Chinese institutions through domestic suppliers, raising questions about the effectiveness of export controls.

The university paid 874,700 yuan, about US$123,000, to a Chinese technology company, and records also show it rented access to H200s and other Nvidia processors through five contracts this year. A review of 26 Chinese procurement and corporate records found other institutions buying restricted chips or renting computing services, including some with defence links. The US began permitting some H200 exports to China case by case in January, but that did not remove the separate restrictions on blacklisted organisations.