At least five Chinese supercomputing centers blacklisted for national security risks were involved in over 100 U.S. government-funded research projects, raising concerns about technology exposure and unauthorized data sharing. The Department of Defense and Department of Energy both backed these studies.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reported that entities in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Changsha were repeatedly listed in acknowledgments across Pentagon- and DOE-funded papers. Despite being sanctioned, these centers remain in use through China-based partners working with U.S. researchers.
Much of the research touched on fields with obvious military relevance. From space weather modeling that can support missile defense, to work on advanced alloys used in nuclear technology, the overlap between civilian research and potential military gain has worried intelligence officials.
Argonne and Oak Ridge labs claimed that their researchers did not operate the Chinese systems directly. However, when asked whether their foreign collaborators had, they offered no clarification.
The Commerce Department’s sanctions prohibit U.S.-origin technology from aiding entities involved in weapons proliferation or military buildup. But a loophole appears to exist when it comes to collaborative simulations. Experts say that American scientists may be unintentionally passing along valuable tools to Beijing.
One DOE-supported project on spacecraft physics relied on Beihang University — another blacklisted entity — and used the Guangzhou-based TianHe-2 supercomputer, the most frequently cited among the 102 flagged research efforts.
Eads said many of the projects could be feeding into China’s “Military-Civil Fusion” strategy. That program is designed to harvest global innovation for both state industry and the People’s Liberation Army.
In one case, a 2020 report funded by the Pentagon acknowledged the use of the TianHe-1 system for research on materials used in advanced weapons and aerospace tech.
