Export-Controlled Nvidia Chip Traces Found in Six Chinese AI Models

At a glance

Public weights from six open models by DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, MiniMax, and Ant Group show initialization patterns matching Nvidia's Blackwell GPU. The analysis used numbers left in publicly released model files. It does not prove that all training ran on Blackwell chips.

Key points

1. 1

   The analysis used starting values left in public model files, not insider tips.

2. 2

   Models released from 2026 onward by DeepSeek, Moonshot, MiniMax, and Ant Group show the Blackwell pattern.

3. 3

   The pattern cannot reveal who owns the chips or where they are located.

4. 4

   AMD chips could produce the same pattern, but the researchers judged that very unlikely.

Why it matters

It tests whether export-controlled chips were used in Chinese AI development using only public data, which matters for chip policy and the AI industry..