A forensic analysis by Unemployment Labs has uncovered evidence that top Chinese AI models were trained using export-controlled NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs.
The report, published on 12 November 2026, found that six models from DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, MiniMax, and Ant Group contain numerical fingerprints matching Blackwell hardware.
Earlier models from the same companies matched NVIDIA’s older Hopper generation, suggesting a recent shift to the restricted chips.
The evidence comes entirely from the models’ own published weights, rather than leaks or insider accounts.
Researchers recovered traces of the models’ initial values and searched for hardware configurations that reproduced them, confirming the match on physical Blackwell chips for two models.
The method proved accurate on 24 known cases where developers publicly disclosed their hardware.
The findings suggest the labs used thousands of Blackwell GPUs for two to three months, potentially costing hundreds of millions of dollars.
The report, published on 12 November 2026, found that six models from DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, MiniMax, and Ant Group contain numerical fingerprints matching Blackwell hardware.
Earlier models from the same companies matched NVIDIA’s older Hopper generation, suggesting a recent shift to the restricted chips.
The evidence comes entirely from the models’ own published weights, rather than leaks or insider accounts.
Researchers recovered traces of the models’ initial values and searched for hardware configurations that reproduced them, confirming the match on physical Blackwell chips for two models.
The method proved accurate on 24 known cases where developers publicly disclosed their hardware.
The findings suggest the labs used thousands of Blackwell GPUs for two to three months, potentially costing hundreds of millions of dollars.
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However, the study does not establish where the chips were located or whether export controls were violated.
The report urges urgent public attention, as U.S. officials had previously alleged such use without technical proof.
The analysis offers the first technical evidence of access to advanced computing hardware by Chinese AI developers.
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