Nvidia’s AI Chips Sought by Chinese Labs With Ties to Military

At least seven Chinese universities that support the country’s armed forces and defense industry are seeking access to Nvidia Corp.’s H200 chips, the most powerful artificial intelligence processors ever allowed by the US to be sold in China, according to a review of procurement records.

Two of the institutions that have expressed interest in the H200 chips — Beihang University and Northwestern Polytechnical University — rank among China’s “Seven Sons of National Defense,” an elite group dedicated to aiding the People’s Liberation Army. Both schools have been blacklisted by the US Commerce Department owing to their work advancing China’s ...