Nvidia (NVDA) shares rose 2.48% to $172.98, gaining $4.18 amid strong buying momentum even as the stock retreated from intraday highs near $175. The advance came as newly disclosed procurement records showed that a blacklisted Chinese university had purchased Nvidia's advanced H200 artificial intelligence chips, raising fresh questions about US export controls and China's access to advanced computing technology.

Blacklisted Chinese University Secures Nvidia H200 AI Chips

Northwestern Polytechnical University bought two Nvidia H200 chips for 874,700 yuan, approximately $123,000, according to procurement records reviewed by Reuters. The H200 is one of Nvidia's most advanced data center processors, built for large-scale AI training workloads, which makes its documented presence at a sanctioned institution particularly consequential for the export-control debate. An October 21 procurement record identified Shaanxi Bosuan Network Technology as the supplier for the university's management school. The transaction went ahead despite US restrictions on technology exports to institutions linked to Chinese military research.

The university is a member of China's "Seven Sons of National Defense," a group of institutions that support defense research, with activities spanning military aircraft, missile systems, and satellite technology for China's aerospace sector. Washington has maintained strict technology export restrictions against the school for more than two decades. The US Commerce Department placed Northwestern Polytechnical University on its Entity List in 2001 over proliferation concerns — a designation that generally bars US companies from shipping covered technology without a license — and officials tightened those restrictions in 2019, establishing stricter licensing requirements for controlled American technology. The university has nonetheless continued to obtain advanced Nvidia computing resources through Chinese technology suppliers.

Nvidia AI Chip Access Expands Through Chinese Suppliers

Reuters examined 26 Chinese procurement and corporate records showing purchases and rentals involving restricted Nvidia processors. The documents revealed that several universities obtained advanced computing services through domestic technology providers, and that some institutions maintained research relationships with China's military and aerospace industries.

Northwestern Polytechnical University secured two seven-month contracts in January for servers containing eight H200 processors each. The contracts covered artificial intelligence model training, including reinforcement learning and model fine-tuning. University departments also rented computing resources equipped with Nvidia A100 and A800 processors, the latter a China-market variant of the A100 developed to comply with earlier export rules.

Other Chinese institutions purchased restricted Nvidia hardware through local suppliers during 2026 as well. Shenzhen University acquired three H100 processors, while Beihang University bought four A800 chips in April. The transactions underscored continuing demand for advanced American computing hardware across China's research institutions.

Nvidia Faces Greater Scrutiny Over US Export Controls

The Trump administration introduced case-by-case export approvals for certain H200 shipments to China in January, but the policy maintained separate restrictions against blacklisted organizations and military end users. Federal requirements also sought to prevent restricted institutions from remotely accessing approved computing systems.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has supported continued chip sales to Chinese customers under American regulations, arguing that commercial access helps maintain US technological leadership and China's reliance on American technology. Lawmakers have raised concerns about potential military applications involving advanced artificial intelligence processors.

Congressional leaders have proposed stronger chip tracking requirements and greater oversight of technology exports to China. Separately, three Republican committee chairmen requested a November 18 briefing with Huang concerning reported foreign intelligence contacts. The developments have increased political pressure on Nvidia as Washington reviews access to advanced American semiconductor technology. The documented purchases now give that review a concrete record to work from, with the proposed tracking measures and the requested briefing shaping the next round of the debate.

Source: Blockonomi