Chinese universities performing military research acquired Super Micro servers with sanctioned Nvidia AI chips — public documents reveal purchases were completed in 2025 and 2026 despite US export controls

Public documents reveal that four Chinese universities, two of which are known for conducting military research for the People’s Liberation Army, bought AI servers containing export-controlled Nvidia chips from Super Micro Computer. According to Reuters, the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), which focuses on missile, satellite, and robotics technologies, bought a system from Super Micro in July 2025 that contained eight Nvidia A100 AI GPUs.

Beihang University, which also conducts aerospace and defense research, is said to have acquired a machine-learning workstation from the company just this March, configured with four Nvidia A100 chips. These two universities are part of the “Seven Sons of National Defense,” a designation for Chinese academic institutions with deep ties to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the People’s Republic of China’s defense industry.