A Chinese university with links to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has purchased two Nvidia H200 AI chips despite being on the US government’s export blacklist. The purchase raises fresh concerns about how Chinese institutions continue to access advanced Nvidia processors despite US export restrictions.
According to procurement records reviewed by Reuters, Northwestern Polytechnical University bought two Nvidia H200 chips for 874,700 yuan (approximately $123,000) in October 2026. The university purchased the processors through a Chinese technology supplier instead of buying them directly from Nvidia.
The purchase shows potential gaps in US restrictions on AI chip exports to China. It also raises questions about how domestic suppliers and computing service providers help Chinese institutions access restricted AI hardware.
Chinese University Buys Two Nvidia H200 AI Chips for $123,000 Despite US Restrictions
Northwestern Polytechnical University in China purchased two Nvidia H200 AI chips for 874,700 yuan (approximately $123,000), according to a procurement notice published on its official website on October 21, 2026.
The purchase was made for the university’s management school. Chinese technology supplier Shaanxi Bosuan Network Technology handled the transaction. The Nvidia H200 is one of the company’s most powerful AI processors. It is built to handle demanding computing tasks, including training and running advanced artificial intelligence models.
The chip is also used for scientific research, large-scale AI development, and other high-performance computing workloads. The purchase has drawn attention because Northwestern Polytechnical University has been under US export restrictions for more than two decades. These restrictions limit its access to certain American technologies.
The university is also a member of China’s Seven Sons of National Defense, a group of seven universities with close ties to the country’s military and defence research programmes. Its research areas include military aircraft, missile systems, and satellite technology.
US Export Restrictions on Northwestern Polytechnical University Explained
The US Department of Commerce added Northwestern Polytechnical University to its Entity List in 2001 over concerns about its alleged involvement in missile proliferation and military research.
The restrictions became tighter in 2019. Since then, US companies have generally faced a policy of licence denial when seeking to export controlled technologies to the university.
The US Entity List limits access to certain American products and technologies without government approval. These restrictions also cover advanced computing equipment, including high-performance AI chips and processors.
In January 2026, the Trump administration began allowing some Nvidia H200 chip exports to China on a case-by-case basis. However, this policy change did not remove export restrictions on blacklisted organisations such as Northwestern Polytechnical University.
The university’s latest purchase has therefore raised questions about how it obtained the Nvidia H200 processors despite existing US export restrictions.
Chinese University Rented Servers With Restricted Nvidia H200 AI Chips
The purchase of two Nvidia H200 processors was not the only way Northwestern Polytechnical University accessed advanced AI computing hardware. Procurement records show that the university also rented computing resources from Chinese technology companies through separate contracts.
In January 2026, the university’s cybersecurity school awarded two contracts for access to servers equipped with eight Nvidia H200 chips each. Both contracts covered a period of seven months.
The contracts were worth 441,700 yuan and 441,000 yuan, respectively. The university planned to use these computing resources for AI model fine-tuning and reinforcement learning. The university also rented servers equipped with eight Nvidia A100 chips and eight A800 chips.
Both Nvidia A100 and A800 processors face US export restrictions on sales to Chinese entities. These arrangements highlight a challenge for Washington’s efforts to limit China’s access to advanced AI chips. Chinese universities and research institutions can rent computing power from domestic cloud providers instead of buying processors directly from US chipmakers.
Multiple Chinese Universities Acquired Nvidia AI Chips Despite US Export Restrictions
The procurement records suggest that access to restricted Nvidia AI chips extends beyond Northwestern Polytechnical University. Several other Chinese universities and research institutions have also purchased these processors or rented computing services that use them.
Reuters reviewed 26 Chinese procurement and corporate records from 2026. The documents identified multiple institutions that had obtained restricted Nvidia processors through direct purchases or computing service contracts. Other reported purchases include:
- Shenzhen University: Purchased three Nvidia H100 processors for 769,800 yuan in September 2026.
- Wuhan University of Technology: Purchased a server containing an Nvidia H100 chip for 355,000 yuan in June. It also bought four Nvidia A100 processors for 344,000 yuan.
- Beihang University: Purchased four Nvidia A800 processors for 489,000 yuan in April. The university is also a member of China’s Seven Sons of National Defense.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences: Procurement notices published in July and September listed suppliers offering computing services powered by Nvidia H800 and A800 processors.
Several of these universities have links to China’s defence sector and military research programmes.
The records also show that some institutions accessed restricted Nvidia processors through Chinese technology suppliers. This allowed them to obtain computing resources without purchasing the chips directly from Nvidia.
However, the procurement documents did not provide clear details about the chips’ original sources or the physical locations of the rented servers. As a result, it remains unclear how these institutions obtained the restricted Nvidia processors and where the hardware was being operated.
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Nvidia Faces US Lawmakers’ Scrutiny Over AI Chip Sales to China
Nvidia and CEO Jensen Huang are facing growing scrutiny from US lawmakers over the company’s AI chip exports to China. Huang has argued that allowing Nvidia to sell advanced AI chips to China would help the US maintain its technological lead.
He has also warned that export restrictions could push Chinese companies towards domestic chipmakers. However, US lawmakers have raised national security concerns. They argue that advanced AI processors could help China develop military AI systems, improve intelligence analysis, and advance weapons research.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers have called for stricter export controls. Their proposals include chip-tracking requirements and greater congressional oversight of AI chip sales. Three Republican committee chairmen have also requested a briefing with Huang on November 18.
The request concerns his reported contacts with an individual allegedly linked to Chinese intelligence. Nvidia, Northwestern Polytechnical University, and the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on the reported purchases.
ALSO READ: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Reportedly Targeted by Suspected Chinese Spy, US Intelligence Says
US Export Controls Face Challenges as China Expands Access to Advanced AI Chips
The latest data raise questions about the effectiveness of US export restrictions on advanced AI chips to China.
Although Washington has restricted direct chip sales, Chinese technology suppliers and cloud service providers appear to offer other ways for universities and research institutions to access restricted Nvidia processors.
Renting computing power also makes export enforcement more difficult. US authorities may struggle to track where restricted chips are located, who operates them, and which organisations use their computing resources.
The US government must therefore look beyond direct chip shipments. It also needs to monitor domestic suppliers, cloud computing services, and other channels that could provide restricted AI hardware to Chinese institutions linked to military research.
The latest procurement records could increase pressure on Washington to strengthen export controls as the US and China compete for leadership in advanced AI technology.
