(Reuters) – Chinese entities with ties to the state are using cloud services provided by Amazon.com Inc or its rivals to access advanced U.S. chips and artificial intelligence capabilities they could not otherwise obtain, recent public bidding documents show.
Providing access to such technologies through the cloud does not violate US regulations.
“AWS complies with all applicable U.S. laws, including trade laws, regarding the provision of AWS services inside and outside of China,” said a spokesperson for Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company’s cloud computing division.
Here is a list of Chinese entities that sought access to restricted U.S. technologies through the cloud, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.
Entities that have access to or express interest in accessing AI models and computing power via AWS:
1. Zhejiang Laboratory
The state-run research institute is developing its own large language model, GeoGPT, and said in a tender document in April that it intends to spend 184,000 yuan ($25,760) to purchase cloud computing services from AWS, as its AI model has not been able to obtain sufficient computing power from domestic manufacturers. alibaba The company told Reuters it had not completed the purchase but did not say why. Alibaba’s cloud computing unit, AliCloud, did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters was unable to determine whether the purchase had been completed.
2. National Center for Technology Innovation of EDA
The state-backed company, which helps Chinese companies develop chip design blueprints for mass production, said in a tender document in April that it spent 600,000 yuan to buy an overseas AWS account to access Claude 3, an AI model developed by Anthropic. Anthropic said it does not support or allow customers or end users inside China to access Claude. The center did not respond to a request for comment.
Entities that can access advanced US chips via AWS:
1. Shenzhen University
Shenzhen University spent 200,000 yuan on AWS to gain access to cloud servers powered by Nvidia (NASDAQ:) A100 and H100 chips for an unspecified project, according to a March bidding document. Exports of the two Nvidia chips to China have been blocked by the United States
The document showed that Shenzhen University obtained the service through an intermediary, Yunda Technology Ltd Co. The university and Yunda Technology did not respond to requests for comment.
Nvidia did not respond to a request for comment on the Shenzhen University spending or any of the other Chinese entity deals.
2. Fujian Chuanzheng College of Communication
The Fujian provincial government-backed vocational college spent 85,000 yuan in August last year on an AWS account that will give it access to clusters of more than 4,000 Nvidia A100 chips. The supplier was Xiamen Hanwei Software Technology Ltd Co, according to a tender document submitted in August.
The college said in the tender document that the purchase aims to “keep pace with the latest developments in cloud computing technology… and enhance the quality of cloud computing talent training and professional development in educational institutions.”
The college and Xiamen Hanoi did not respond to requests for comment. An Amazon Web Services spokesperson said, “The vast majority of this small tender was for skills training, and the very small portion for cloud services did not use any of the restricted AI chips.”
Entities that access or express interest in accessing OpenAI tools via Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:) Azure
1. Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd.
The state-owned automaker said in May last year it was looking for a Microsoft-authorized reseller that could set up Azure OpenAI accounts and integrate the generative AI technology into the company’s systems and applications. The company did not respond to a request for comment on whether it had gone ahead with the purchase. Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment and Reuters was unable to determine whether the purchase had been completed.
2. Sichuan University
In April, Sichuan University announced it was building a generative AI platform and purchasing 40 million Azure OpenAI tokens to support the project. A tender document in May showed the supplier was Sichuan Province Xuedong Technology Co Ltd. The Chinese entities and Microsoft did not respond to requests for comment.
OpenAI said in a statement that its services are not supported in China and that Azure OpenAI operates under Microsoft policies. The company did not comment on the bids.
Entities that have access to or express interest in accessing U.S. chips via cloud services
1. Suzhou Advanced Research Institute, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC)
USTC said in a filing in March that it wants to lease 500 cloud servers, each equipped with eight Nvidia A100 chips, for an unspecified purpose.
A procurement document in April showed that Hefei Advanced Computing Center Option Management Co Ltd was the tenderer, but the document did not name the cloud provider and Reuters was unable to identify it.
The US Department of Commerce added USTC to its Entity List in May 2024 for its acquisition of US quantum computing technology that could help China’s military and its involvement in developing its nuclear program.
USTC did not respond to a request for comment on the deal and its inclusion on the Entity List.
2. Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)
In April, the university’s computer science department purchased four months of usage time on a server powered by eight Nvidia A100 chips by paying 196,000 yuan to Shenzhen Yunbing Technology Co Ltd for an unspecified purpose.
The university’s Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering was added to the Uncertain List in February 2022, meaning that parties doing business with the department must take additional compliance steps to address U.S. concerns about potential national security risks.
SUSTech and Shenzhen Yunbing did not respond to requests for comment.
3. Tsinghua University
A state-owned company that bought the banned Nvidia chips said in November 2023 it planned to spend nearly half a million yuan to lease 10 or more servers, each powered by eight Nvidia A100 chips, to provide AI computing power for an unspecified purpose. A Reuters review showed the contract was awarded to Beijing Parallel Technology Co. Ltd. Neither entity responded to requests for comment.
4. China Coal Research Institute
In June, the institute, a major research and development center for China’s coal industry, announced it wanted to buy four servers powered by Nvidia’s A100 chips. The institute did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters was unable to determine whether the purchase had been completed.
5. China’s National Knowledge Infrastructure
China’s National Knowledge Infrastructure Co., which runs the country’s largest academic database, said it wants to buy a three-year cloud computing account that could give it access to Nvidia’s A100 computing power. A Reuters review showed the bid went to Inner Mongolia Tongfang Exploration Technology Co Ltd. Neither company responded to requests for comment.
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