Reported by Reuters and according to procurement data, the sales have taken place over the last year, although it’s not clear how the servers were sourced. Notably, two of the universities have been linked to the People’s Liberation Army.
The news comes during a time when the US continues to restrict sales of some advanced processors to China. Universities in China have previously gained access to restricted chips in servers made by Supermicro, according to previous Reuters reports. It happening again is likely to cause further tensions between the US and China as the global chip race continues.
This week, two US senators have called for US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to consider pausing all export licenses – those that specifically allow advanced AI chips by Nvidia and server systems to be sent to China.
US-China chip debates have been ongoing for some time, after the US banned the sale of some chips to China in 2022. It has since expressed concern over the potential use of AI chips being used to enhance China’s military capabilities.
In 2024, the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) further tightened export rules for advanced semiconductor shipments to China. It acted against certain software tools used to produce advanced-node integrated circuits, including tools used to increase the productivity of chip manufacturing equipment.
Beijing has also discouraged companies from purchasing the hardware from the US, despite Nvidia gaining approval to sell its H200 chip. Sales are limited, however, with conditions aimed at banning their use by military-linked entities – a move that faced criticism from some lawmakers who were afraid technology could still be diverted.
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