Former OpenAI researcher says six Chinese AI models were built on banned Nvidia chips
Six AI models from four leading Chinese labs were initialized on export-controlled Nvidia Blackwell chips, according to forensic analysis by former OpenAI researcher Will DePue.
The analysis, published on November 12, traces models from DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, MiniMax and Ant Group to the restricted hardware. DePue, who joined OpenAI in 2023 and worked on Sora video models and post-training for o3 and GPT-4o, conducted the research through Unemployment Labs. He emphasizes that the analysis relies solely on publicly released model weights, not leaks or insider accounts.
Specific Models Identified
The six models identified are DeepSeek-V4-Flash, DeepSeek-V4-Pro, Kimi K3, Kimi K3.1-Pro, MiniMax-M3 and Ant Group's Ling-3.1-flash. According to the report, four match Nvidia's GB200 or GB300 Grace Blackwell systems, while two match B200 or B300 chips. DePue estimates that the largest runs, Kimi K3 and DeepSeek-V4-Pro, each used approximately 2,000 to 3,000 Blackwell GPUs, with clusters costing $150 million to $200 million each.
Methodology and Verification
The analysis examines the starting values a model's weights receive before training begins. DePue explains that the layout of these values depends on the specific GPU and random seed used, with traces of this pattern surviving in published models. He searched more than six trillion combinations of chip layout and seed to find matches. The method was independently verified by senior researchers at OpenAI and Anthropic, though the report names no outside reviewers.
The results are not a finding that any law was broken.
International Implications
The findings add to existing scrutiny of how Chinese labs access Nvidia's top chips. In July, White House science adviser Michael Kratsios stated that Moonshot had 'accessed GB300s in Thailand, likely to train its AI models.' On November 12, The Information reported that companies tied to Alice Huang invested in DeepSeek and promised it Nvidia chips. The day before, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chris Coons urged the Trump administration to preserve Nvidia's export records.
The report acknowledges limitations, noting it identifies only the hardware that generated starting weights, not every chip used in training. It also doesn't show where the chips were located, who owned them, or how they were obtained. DePue indicated that more results from the same method are forthcoming.
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