Procurement records confirm the university, a key institution linked to China’s defense sector, purchased the hardware through local intermediaries in September and October, triggering fresh scrutiny over the efficacy of Washington’s trade restrictions.
To understand the figure known as the “king of AI,” we discuss the situation with tech journalist Alain McKenna.
University Purchases Bypass U.S. Technology Sanctions
The purchases show that U.S. technology sanctions are not being enforced effectively. According to records cited by Noovo Info, the university’s school of management purchased two H200 units for 874,700 yuan ($131,200) on October 21 from Shaanxi Bosuan Network Technology. Previously, on September 4, the institution’s school of cybersecurity acquired two identical chips for 796,000 yuan ($119,300), Noovo Info reported.
The H200 chips are subject to rigorous export controls that prohibit direct sales to Chinese entities and restrict secondary market resales globally. While the purchase documents were briefly visible on the university’s website, they were removed by Thursday, November 12, according to Noovo Info.
“We firmly oppose the U.S. side’s overstretching of the concept of national security, establishing all kinds of discriminatory lists, and groundlessly suppressing Chinese institutions,” said Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a press briefing on Thursday. The ministry stated it was not aware of these specific procurement activities.
| Procurement Date | Department | Quantity | Total Cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 4, 2026 | Cybersecurity | 2 | $119,300 |
| October 21, 2026 | Management | 2 | $131,200 |
Corporate Governance Crisis at Nvidia
The procurement controversy coincides with a period of intense volatility for Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA). The company’s stock experienced a decline of more than 8% in informal trading on November 11 following reports of a scandal involving CEO Jensen Huang, as noted by Le Monde. Allegations surfaced regarding a personal relationship between Huang and a Singapore-based executive, Alice Huang, who is reportedly under investigation for potential links to Chinese intelligence services.
Nvidia Shares Fall as Investigations Widen to Alibaba
The broader market impact extends beyond the immediate scandal. TIKR.com reported that Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) shares fell 5.5% on Tuesday, November 10, as investigations widened to include Megaspeed, a Singapore-based firm linked to significant prepayment activity with Alibaba (NYSE: BABA).
Culper Research identified that Alibaba’s Singaporean unit reported over $4.1 billion in prepayments after Megaspeed’s Malaysian subsidiary committed its business to Apex Enterprise Solutions, an Alibaba subsidiary. The Financial Times reported that Alibaba was the founding and primary cloud customer of Megaspeed in Southeast Asia and remains its largest client, and that Apex loaned money to Speedmatrix in June 2024.
A Chinese university with close ties to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) purchased Nvidia’s advanced H200 AI chips despite being on a U. S. export blacklist. Northwestern Polytechnical University bought two H200 chips for $123,000 in October through a Chinese supplier. Other… pic.twitter.com/OAXym8nzFV
