China's top AI models trained on banned Nvidia chips, study finds
Researchers say the weights of DeepSeek and Moonshot models carry fingerprints of Blackwell GPUs that US rules bar from China.
China's leading open AI models were trained on Nvidia chips banned from export to China, TechCrunch reports. The claim comes from Unemployment Labs, led by former OpenAI researcher Will DePue.
The team analysed the weights of open models from DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, MiniMax and Ant Group. Training leaves traces of the chips used, and the researchers say they found compelling evidence of Blackwell training in Moonshot's Kimi K3 and DeepSeek's V4.
Blackwell GPUs are barred from export to China or Chinese-owned firms. The Trump administration allows Nvidia to sell the weaker H200 there, but only via a circuitous route that lets Washington claim a 25% tariff.
Nvidia was already reeling: Jensen Huang left as chief executive this week after admitting an affair with Alice Huang, an executive at Megaspeed, a firm probed over suspected chip smuggling into China.
Source: TechCrunch Photo: Lenharth Systems / StockSnap (CC0)
