GoKawiilResearch finds Chinese AI models trained on banned Nvidia Blackwell chips
A nonprofit researcher, Will DePue of Unemployment Labs, analyzed the weight structures of open models from DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, MiniMax and Ant Group and found signs they were trained on Nvidia Blackwell GPUs, which are barred from export to China. The finding follows Jensen Huang's departure from Nvidia this week after he admitted an affair with Alice Huang of Megaspeed, a firm accused of smuggling Nvidia chips into China and allegedly tied to Chinese intelligence.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
If accurate, the research suggests US export controls meant to slow China's AI progress are being circumvented at scale, undermining a central pillar of American tech policy toward its rival. Nvidia's exposure to export-control violations, separate from the personal scandal, may have weighed on the company's decision to remove Huang, though the piece does not confirm this as the stated reason. The findings could intensify scrutiny of Nvidia's compliance practices and pressure US regulators to tighten enforcement.
- Analysis of model weights suggests leading Chinese AI labs trained on export-banned Nvidia Blackwell chips
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang departed this week following disclosure of an affair with an executive linked to chip-smuggling allegations
- US officials, including a White House tech adviser, have previously cited intelligence suggesting Moonshot used banned Nvidia chips
Source: techcrunch.com — Tim Fernholz, 2026-11-13
Published there as: “Export-banned Nvidia chips are behind China’s most powerful AI models—uh oh, Jensen!”
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