Former OpenAI researcher finds Nvidia Blackwell fingerprints in six Chinese AI models

Nov 13, 2026

A forensic analysis by former OpenAI researcher Will DePue revealed that six Chinese AI models from labs including DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, MiniMax, and Ant Group contain Nvidia Blackwell GPU fingerprints, indicating access to restricted chips despite U.S. export bans. The finding comes alongside Reuters identifying $3 billion in Chinese AI projects relying on restricted Nvidia processors and follows the resignation of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on November 12, 2026, amid investigations into chip smuggling.

Forensic discovery of Nvidia Blackwell fingerprints in Chinese models

▪Former OpenAI researcher Will DePue identified Nvidia Blackwell GPU fingerprints in published weights of six Chinese AI models released since April 2026: DeepSeek-V4-Pro, DeepSeek-V4-Flash, Kimi K3, Kimi K3.1-Pro, MiniMax-M3, and Ant Group's Ling-3.1-flash
▪Nvidia Hopper chips like the H100 use 132 compute cores for weight initialization, whereas Blackwell B200 and B300 chips use 148 cores and GB200 and GB300 systems use 152 cores
▪Will DePue's analysis identifies GPU hardware patterns by tracing PyTorch weight initialization via cuRAND and Philox pseudorandom number generation algorithms back to initial seed values

Illicit imports and stockpiling of restricted Nvidia chips in China

▪Former OpenAI researcher Will DePue estimated that five Chinese AI training runs using Nvidia Blackwell GPUs required approximately 12,000 chips worth over $500 million combined
▪Short-seller research firm Culper reported that an estimated 600,000 Nvidia H200 chips were stockpiled in Hong Kong awaiting entry into mainland China
▪Epoch AI estimated that approximately two million advanced chips entered China in 2024 and 2025 through offshore schemes, including 275,000 Nvidia accelerators imported to Malaysia
▪Israeli security firm Lava discovered 32 export-restricted Nvidia B300 GPUs publicly exposed via internal monitoring endpoints geolocated to IP addresses in China
▪A Reuters review of over 150 procurement notices and disclosures identified more than $3 billion in Chinese computing projects built around restricted Nvidia processors like H100, H200, and H800

Resignation and investigation of Jensen Huang over Megaspeed ties

▪Nvidia's board initiated an independent investigation into Jensen Huang's conduct while stating it found no evidence U.S. national security or company trade secrets were compromised
▪Megaspeed International, founded by Alice Huang in Singapore, is under investigation by U.S. authorities for alleged involvement in smuggling export-restricted Nvidia chips into China
▪Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigned on November 12, 2026, following disclosures regarding his relationship with Alice Huang, founder of Singapore-based Nvidia cloud partner Megaspeed International

U.S. legislative response to restrict Chinese AI chip access

▪U.S. Senators Jim Banks and Elizabeth Warren cited Jensen Huang's relationship with Alice Huang to support passing the AI Overwatch Act to codify Trump administration chip export controls
▪U.S. lawmakers are considering four pending bills—the AI Overwatch Act, Chip Security Act, Match Act, and Cloud Security Act—to restrict Chinese AI labs' access to advanced U.S. chips
▪House Speaker Mike Johnson voiced support for tightening U.S. chip export controls amid scrutiny of Chinese AI labs' access to restricted Nvidia chips

Nvidia's market share in China

▪An IDC report cited in October 2026 estimated that Nvidia still accounted for 34% of Chinese AI-accelerator shipments in the first half of 2026
▪Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang previously stated that U.S. export restrictions reduced Nvidia's market share in China's AI data-center market from 95% to zero