Blackwell traces suggest banned Nvidia chips behind China’s most powerful AI models, testing export controls for Jensen | TechCrunch
Model weights show chip fingerprints
Will DePue, a former OpenAI researcher who leads Unemployment Labs, examined the weights of open models from DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, MiniMax and Ant Group. He said the structures retain traces of the chips used during training.
His analysis found what he described as compelling signs of Blackwell use in closely watched releases, including Moonshot’s Kimi K3 models and DeepSeek’s V4 models. The findings do not show that Nvidia chips were the models’ only training hardware.
Export controls face enforcement questions
US rules bar exports of Blackwell GPUs to China and Chinese-owned firms. The Trump administration permits exports of the less powerful H200, subject to a circuitous shipping route and a 25% tariff.
Nvidia, China and competing pressures
Culper’s short bet, however, focused on China’s response to the restrictions: renewed support for its domestic chip industry. The article says about 600,000 H200 chips are reportedly stockpiled in Hong Kong awaiting shipment to China, but observers disagree on why they have not been cleared for import.
Key points
- DePue found signs of Blackwell training in models from DeepSeek and Moonshot AI.
- The analysis does not establish that export laws were violated.
- Epoch AI estimates 275,000 Nvidia AI accelerators entered Malaysia in 2024 and 2025.
- About 600,000 H200 chips are reportedly awaiting shipment from Hong Kong to China.