Northwestern Polytechnical University acquires Nvidia H200 chips despite U.S. blacklist

Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi'an purchased two Nvidia H200 artificial intelligence chips despite being on a U.S. government blacklist.

The university paid 874,700 yuan for the processors through a Chinese technology supplier.

The institution also secured access to additional H200 computing power by renting servers equipped with these chips.

Northwestern Polytechnical University conducts research in aerospace, missiles and defence technology.

Reuters identified several other Chinese universities procuring restricted Nvidia AI processors, including H100 and A800 models.

This development highlights challenges for Washington in restricting direct chip sales when institutions access computing power through third-party suppliers and server-rental arrangements.

The procurement highlights enforcement challenges regarding U.S. export controls on advanced semiconductor supply chains.