(Reuters) -State-linked Chinese entities are using cloud services from Amazon (NASDAQ:) or its rivals to gain access to advanced U.S. chips and artificial intelligence capabilities they could not otherwise acquire, recent public procurement documents show.
Providing access to such technologies via the cloud does not violate US regulations.
A spokesperson for Amazon’s cloud business, Amazon Web Services (AWS), said: “AWS complies with all applicable US laws, including trade laws, regarding the provision of AWS services within and outside China.”
Below is a list of Chinese entities that sought access to restricted U.S. technologies through the cloud, according to the documents reviewed by Reuters.
Entities that have access or express interest in accessing AI models and computing power through AWS:
1. Zhejiang Laboratory
The state research institute is developing its own large-scale model, GeoGPT, and said in a tender document in April that it planned to spend 184,000 yuan ($25,760) on purchasing AWS cloud computing services because its AI model could not get enough of it. homegrown computing power Alibaba.com (NYSE:). The institute told Reuters it was not going ahead with the purchase, but did not say why. Alibaba’s cloud division, Alicloud, did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters was unable to determine whether the purchase had been completed.
2. National Technology Innovation Center for EDA
The state-backed entity, which helps Chinese companies develop chip design blueprints for mass production, said in an April tender document that it spent 600,000 yuan to buy an overseas AWS account with the aim of gaining access to Claude 3 , an AI model developed by Anthropic. Anthropic said it does not support or allow customers or end users in China to access Claude. The center did not respond to a request for comment.
Entities with access to advanced US chips through AWS:
1. Shenzhen University
Shenzhen University spent 200,000 yuan on an AWS account to access cloud servers powered by Nvidia (NASDAQ:) A100 and H100 chips for an unspecified project, according to a March tender document. The export of the two Nvidia chips to China has been banned by the US
Shenzhen University received this service through an intermediary, Yunda Technology Ltd Co, the document showed. The university and Yunda Technology did not respond to requests for comment.
Nvidia did not respond to a request for comment on Shenzhen University’s spending or on the deals of other Chinese entities.
2. Fujian Chuanzheng Communication College
The vocational school, backed by the Fujian provincial government, spent 85,000 yuan in August last year on an AWS account that would provide access to clusters consisting of more than 4,000 Nvidia A100 chips. According to the August tender document, the supplier was Xiamen Hanwei Software Technology Ltd Co.
The council said in the tender document that the purchase was intended to “keep pace with the latest developments in cloud computing technology… and improve the quality of cloud computing talent training and professional development in educational institutions .”
The college and Xiamen Hanwei did not respond to requests for comment. An AWS spokesperson said that “the vast majority of this small procurement was for skills training, and the very small portion that was for cloud services did not use the limited AI chips.”
Entities that have access to or express interest in accessing OpenAI tools through Azure from Microsoft (NASDAQ:).
1. Chongqing Changan Automobile Co
The state-owned automaker said in May last year that it was looking for a Microsoft authorized retailer that could set up Azure OpenAI accounts and integrate generative AI technology into the company’s systems and applications. The company did not respond to a request for comment on whether it was going ahead with the purchase. Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment and Reuters could not determine whether the purchase went through.
2. Sichuan University
In April, Sichuan University said it was building a generative AI platform and purchasing 40 million Azure OpenAI tokens to support the implementation of this project. The supplier was Xuedong Technology Co Ltd of Sichuan province, a tender document from May showed. The Chinese entities and Microsoft did not respond to requests for comment.
OpenAI said in a statement that its own services are not supported in China and that Azure OpenAI operates under Microsoft’s policies. There was no response to the tenders.
Entities that have access to or express interest in accessing US chips via cloud services
1. Suzhou Institute of Advanced Research, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC)
The USTC institute said in a filing in March that it wanted to rent 500 cloud servers, each powered by eight Nvidia A100 chips, for an unspecified purpose.
The tender was conducted by Hefei Advanced Computing Center Operation Management Co Ltd, a tender document showed in April, but the document did not identify the cloud service provider and Reuters was unable to identify it.
The U.S. Department of Commerce added USTC to its Entity List in May 2024 for acquiring U.S. quantum computing technology that could help China’s military and for its involvement in the development of its nuclear program.
USTC did not respond to a request for comment on the transaction and the entity list listing.
2. Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)
The university’s Department of Computer Science bought four months of operating time on a server powered by eight Nvidia A100 chips in April by paying 196,000 yuan to Shenzhen Yunbing Technology Co Ltd for an unspecified purpose.
The university’s Department of Mechanical and Power Engineering was added to the unverified list in February 2022, meaning parties doing business with the department must take additional compliance measures to address U.S. concerns about potential national security risks.
SUSTech and Shenzhen Yunbing did not respond to requests for comment.
3. Tsinghua University
One of the most frequent state buyers of banned Nvidia chips said in November 2023 that it planned to spend nearly half a million yuan on renting 10 or more servers, each powered by eight Nvidia A100 chips, to boost AI computing power to be supplied for an unspecified group. goal. The contract was awarded to Beijing Parallel Technology Co Ltd, a Reuters check showed. Neither entity responded to a request for comment.
4. China Coal Research Institute
The institute, a key R&D center for China’s coal industry, said in June it was looking to purchase four servers powered by Nvidia A100 chips. The institute did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters was unable to determine whether the purchase went through.
5. Chinese national knowledge infrastructure
China National Knowledge Infrastructure, which runs the country’s largest academic database, said it wanted to buy a cloud computing account with a three-year validity that would give it access to Nvidia A100 computing power. The tender was awarded to Inner Mongolia Tongfang Exploration Technology Co Ltd, a check seen by Reuters showed. Neither company responded to a request for comment.
($1 = 7.1429 renminbi)
