Letter to the National Science Foundation on Chinese Access to U.S. Supercomputing Infrastructure

Chairman John Moolenaar of the House Select Committee on China sent a letter to National Science Foundation Interim Director Brian Stone urging NSF to immediately revoke Chinese entities’ access to the Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services & Support (ACCESS) program.

The letter highlights concerns that PRC- and PLA-affiliated institutions, including entities designated on U.S. government restricted lists, have obtained approved login credentials to U.S.-funded high-performance computing infrastructure through ACCESS. Chairman Moolenaar cites the strategic importance of advanced compute resources for artificial intelligence, modeling and simulation, and other dual-use technologies, and warns that current ACCESS eligibility and oversight mechanisms may pose national security and export control risks.

Specifically, the Committee identified numerous Chinese institutions with ACCESS credentials, including the PLA’s National University of Defense Technology, the “Seven Sons of National Defense” universities, and entities affiliated with China’s defense research establishment. The letter raises concerns that ACCESS may allow Chinese entities to remotely utilize export-controlled GPUs, such as NVIDIA H100s, without obtaining licenses, effectively circumventing U.S. export controls.

Moolenaar warns that foreign adversaries can exploit U.S. research infrastructure to accelerate military and technological capabilities at the expense of American researchers. He calls on NSF to:

• Immediately revoke ACCESS credentials for all PRC-based entities on U.S. restricted or national security–related lists
• Conduct a comprehensive review of ACCESS eligibility, credentialing, and oversight policies
• Provide detailed records of Chinese entities granted access to ACCESS resources and allocations.

The letter underscores the broader national security risks posed by foreign access to U.S.-funded supercomputing infrastructure and urges NSF to ensure that advanced compute resources are protected from exploitation by the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliates.

Full letter here.