# Analysis links Blackwell chips to training of leading Chinese AI models

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/export-banned-nvidia-chips-are-behind-chinas-most-powerful-ai-models-uh-oh-jensen/
- Published: 2026-11-13T18:40:30+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-14T05:34:41+00:00
- Original publisher: TechCrunch
- Original article: https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/13/export-banned-nvidia-chips-are-behind-chinas-most-powerful-ai-models-uh-oh-jensen/
- Topics: AI, Asia, Technology, World

## Key points

- Researchers found signs of Blackwell chip use in leading Chinese AI models.
- The analysis does not prove export laws were broken.
- Data centres abroad may give Chinese firms access to restricted computing power.

## Summary

A research analysis by Will DePue of Unemployment Labs says the weights of leading open-weight Chinese AI models show signs of training on Nvidia Blackwell chips, which the US restricts from export to China. If the models did use those chips, the findings raise questions about how effectively export controls can prevent Chinese AI labs from accessing advanced computing power.

The analysis examined models from DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, MiniMax and Ant Group, and found what DePue described as compelling evidence in Moonshot’s Kimi K3 releases and DeepSeek’s V4 models. This does not establish that the models were trained entirely on Blackwell GPUs or that export laws were broken; access through data centres outside China is another possibility. Epoch AI estimates about two million advanced chips entered China through concealment schemes in 2024 and 2025, while 275,000 Nvidia AI accelerators were imported to Malaysia over the same period.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.