Northwestern Polytechnical University bought NVIDIA H200 chips despite US restrictions
Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), a Chinese school on the US blacklist, managed to buy two powerful NVIDIA H200 AI chips, even though these are supposed to be off-limits.
They got them through a local supplier, showing that US tech restrictions aren't always airtight.
US lawmakers seek tighter chip controls
NPU has ties to China's military and has been on the Entity List since 2001; exports of controlled US technology were tightened in 2019 and are subject to denial in most circumstances, but still found a way in by using domestic suppliers.
The deal, worth about $123,000, is raising eyebrows in Washington, especially as NVIDIA faces pressure over its push to relax chip sales rules.
Lawmakers want tighter controls so sensitive tech doesn't end up boosting China's military edge.