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

Northwestern Polytechnical University, a military-linked Chinese institution on the U.S. Entity List, purchased Nvidia H200 AI chips for $123,000 on October 21, 2026, alongside renting restricted A100 and H200 server capacity through domestic intermediaries. A review of 26 procurement records highlights enforcement gaps in U.S. export controls. Meanwhile, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang faces a November 18, 2026 congressional briefing request regarding contacts with an alleged Chinese operative.

Blacklisted university chip purchases

• ▪Northwestern Polytechnical University bought two Nvidia H200 chips for 874,700 yuan ($123,000) from Shaanxi Bosuan Network Technology
• ▪Northwestern Polytechnical University rented access to servers containing eight Nvidia A100 processors and eight Nvidia A800 chips during 2026
• ▪Shenzhen University bought three Nvidia H100 processors for 769,800 yuan in September 2026
• ▪Northwestern Polytechnical University's cybersecurity school awarded two seven-month contracts in January 2026 for server access to eight Nvidia H200 chips each
• ▪Beihang University bought four Nvidia A800 processors for 489,000 yuan in April 2026

Export control enforcement gaps

• ▪A Reuters review of 26 Chinese procurement records from 2026 showed defense-linked universities buying or renting restricted Nvidia computing technology
• ▪The United States Donald Trump administration began allowing some Nvidia H200 chip exports to China on a case-by-case basis in January 2026
• ▪The United States Commerce Department added Northwestern Polytechnical University to the Entity List in 2001 and tightened export restrictions in 2019

Domestic supplier circumvention routes

• ▪Small quantities of Nvidia H200 chips reached China through indirect third-country routes while Beijing withheld approval for large-scale imports
• ▪Chinese institutions acquired restricted Nvidia processors embedded in servers made by Super Micro Computer, Dell, and Gigabyte through domestic resellers

Jensen Huang lobbying scrutiny

• ▪Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argued that selling AI chips to China preserves American tech leadership and keeps Chinese customers reliant on United States technology
• ▪Three Republican congressional committee chairmen requested a November 18, 2026 briefing with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang over reported contacts with an alleged Chinese operative