Northwestern Polytechnical University, a prominent Chinese defence-focused institution blacklisted by the United States, purchased two advanced Nvidia H200 artificial intelligence chips last month despite stringent export curbs.
An October 21 procurement record published on the university's website shows the processors were acquired for its management school from a domestic intermediary, Shaanxi Bosuan Network Technology, for 874,700 yuan ($123,000). The transaction bypassed direct purchases from the US chipmaker.
In addition to the hardware purchase, records reveal that the Xi'an-based university secured access to H200 processors and other high-end Nvidia hardware earlier this year through five separate contracts renting computing power from Chinese firms.
Northwestern Polytechnical is a member of China’s “Seven Sons of National Defense” and conducts research into military aircraft, missiles, and satellites. The US Department of Commerce placed the university on its Entity List in 2001 over missile-proliferation concerns and military research, tightening restrictions in 2019 to enforce a presumption of export licence denial.
Although the administration of US President Donald Trump began permitting some H200 shipments to China on a case-by-case basis in January, blacklisted entities remain barred from receiving the technology. US lawmakers have warned that access to such advanced computing components accelerates Beijing's development of military systems, intelligence analysis, and weapons design.
The disclosures arrive amid intense political scrutiny in Washington of Nvidia and its chief executive, Jensen Huang, who has lobbied against tighter export controls by arguing that foreign sales preserve American technological leadership and maintain customer reliance.
Huang is also facing pressure over an intimate relationship with Alice Huang, a former data centre executive accused of operating for Chinese intelligence. Calling for the chief executive to resign, Republican Senator Kevin Cramer stated: “The potential for extortion is so tremendous that something as sensitive as Nvidia chips, I just think he’s got to go.”
Nvidia’s board has initiated an independent probe into whether foreign intelligence targeted Huang. While Huang admitted infidelity, the company stated it has no reason to believe national security or confidential data has been compromised. Three Republican congressional committee chairmen have requested a briefing with Huang on November 18.
