A Chinese university with significant ties to the country’s military has successfully acquired advanced artificial intelligence chips from Nvidia, according to official procurement records. The purchase of these high-end processors occurred despite stringent export controls imposed by the United States government to prevent such technology from reaching Chinese defence-linked institutions.
Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), located in Xi’an, purchased the Nvidia H200 chips through a domestic intermediary, Shaanxi Bosuan Network Technology. The H200 is a market-leading AI chip subject to US export controls that restrict direct shipments to China and limit global resale to specific entities.
Details of the procurement
Procurement notices indicate that NPU’s School of Management purchased two H200 chips on October 21 for approximately 874,700 yuan ($131,200). A separate notice from September 4 showed that the university’s cybersecurity school also acquired two of the same chips for 796,000 yuan. Both notices were briefly visible on the university’s website before being removed.
NPU is classified as one of the "Seven Sons of National Defence," a group of universities that conduct extensive research for China’s military. The acquisition highlights the difficulty of enforcing trade bans when products can be sourced through third-party vendors rather than direct manufacturer sales.
Internal crisis at Nvidia
These findings emerge during a period of intense pressure for Nvidia. The California-based tech giant has seen its shares drop following reports that its co-founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, may have been involved in an alleged Chinese espionage operation.
Huang has publicly admitted to an extramarital affair with Alice Huang, an executive at a Singaporean data centre firm who has been accused of spying for Beijing. Reports suggest the Nvidia board is now considering removing Jensen Huang from his position as CEO.
Strategic competition
The incident underscores the escalating competition between China and the United States for dominance in the field of artificial intelligence. While the US has implemented several layers of restrictions to curb China’s AI progress, the procurement at NPU suggests that advanced hardware continues to flow into the country through alternative channels.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Ek Chinese university ne America ki pabandi ke bawajood Nvidia ke jadeed AI chips khareed liye hain. Ye university China ki fauj ke liye research karti hai. Ye chips seedhay Nvidia se nahi balkay ek teesri company se khareeday gaye hain. Is khabar se America aur China ke darmiyan technology ki jung mazeed barh sakti hai.
