U.S. Congressional Committee Alleges Chinese Military-Linked Universities Accessed U.S. Supercomputing Resources

Congressional Committee Raises Alarm Over Supercomputing Access

A U.S. congressional committee has alleged that Chinese universities with ties to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) may have gained access to American supercomputing resources, potentially bolstering China's military modernization efforts. The allegations were brought forth by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), with Chairman Representative John Moolenaar (R-MI) sending a letter to the National Science Foundation (NSF) on January 15, 2026.

The committee's probe suggests that numerous Chinese academic institutions, including those known as the 'Seven Sons of National Defense' and the National University of Defense and Technology, possess standing credentials for the NSF's Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services & Support (ACCESS) program. The ACCESS program is a primary computing hub for academics involved in national security-related fields, such as nuclear science and artificial intelligence.

Circumventing Export Controls and Military Implications

While NSF guidelines typically require researchers to be based in the United States to use the ACCESS program, they permit the addition of foreign co-authors. The congressional committee's concern is that this allowance may enable Chinese entities to remotely utilize export-controlled Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), such as NVIDIA H100s, without obtaining the necessary licenses, thereby circumventing U.S. export controls. The National University of Defense and Technology, specifically mentioned in the allegations, is already subject to U.S. export controls due to its collaboration on chip designs with the Chinese military.

If confirmed, this alleged access could directly undermine U.S. export control policies and significantly support the PLA's modernization, particularly its efforts to enhance its nuclear weapons infrastructure and develop frontier AI systems. Supercomputing capabilities are considered vital for the development of modern weapons and national security systems, including nuclear and hypersonic weapons. This investigation follows previous reports of Chinese military universities exploiting federally funded research programs to access sensitive information related to military modernization.

Calls for Immediate Action and Review

In his letter, Chairman Moolenaar urged Brian Stone, the Interim Director of the NSF, to take several immediate steps. These include:

• Immediately revoking ACCESS credentials for all People's Republic of China (PRC)-based entities listed on U.S. restricted or national security-related lists.
• Conducting a comprehensive review of ACCESS eligibility, credentialing, and oversight policies.
• Providing detailed records of Chinese entities granted access to ACCESS resources and allocations.

As of the latest reports, the NSF has not yet issued a response to the chairman's request for records to confirm or refute the committee's findings.

Broader Context of U.S.-China Tech Rivalry

These allegations emerge amidst ongoing tensions and a broader U.S. effort to prevent China from leveraging American technologies for military advancements. The U.S. has previously blacklisted Chinese supercomputing entities for their alleged support of China's military modernization and programs with destabilizing impacts. Export controls have been a key tool in this strategy, with the Biden administration introducing new policies in October 2022 to block the export of supercomputers and related components to firms and laboratories connected to the Chinese military. The U.S. government continues to express concerns about China's rapid progress in AI and its potential military applications.