Chinese universities, including military-linked institutions, acquire servers with restricted AI chips

Chinese universities, including military-linked institutions, acquire servers with restricted AI chips

Over the past year, four Chinese universities, including two affiliated with the military, purchased servers equipped with restricted AI chips from a major U.S. hardware company, according to procurement data. It remains unclear how these servers were obtained.

Since 2022, the U.S. has restricted the sale of certain advanced AI processors to China, citing concerns that such technology could strengthen military capabilities. Despite these restrictions, Chinese institutions have continued to acquire servers containing these chips.

The U.S.-based company making the servers recently drew attention after three people connected to it, including a co-founder, faced charges for allegedly helping smuggle billions of dollars’ worth of AI technology to China. The company denies involvement, stating that it fell victim to a sophisticated scheme orchestrated by the individuals.

The ongoing acquisition of restricted AI chips by universities, especially those linked to the military, is expected to raise concern among U.S. lawmakers.