Kyiv wants tighter controls to keep foreign silicon out of Moscow's weapons<\/p>\n
Sanctions and Nvidia\u2019s exit from Russia in 2022 haven\u2019t stopped its Jetson Orin hardware from turning up in Russian weaponry, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.<\/p>\n
The Defense Ministry\u2019s Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported this week that it spotted an Nvidia Jetson Orin module in the remains of a Russian S-71 Monochrome cruise missile. The S-71M is an air-launched weapon with autonomous capabilities that can reportedly search for and engage targets using optical sensors and onboard computing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe use of this component may indicate the use of artificial intelligence technologies in the missile,\u201d GUR said. That assumption makes sense, as information on the S-71M suggests that it can operate with user oversight or entirely autonomously.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Photos included with the GUR announcement show a heavily scorched Nvidia chip with the identifier TE980M-A1 stamped onto its surface, indicating that the chip is a Jetson Orin NX 16GB unit that Nvidia released in early 2023. It\u2019s a capable chip, but not exactly datacenter-class hardware – Orin systems are designed precisely for use cases like autonomous systems.<\/p>\n
Nvidia used to have offices in Russia and do business there, but it closed up shop in Ukraine\u2019s bellicose neighbor in 2022 following Moscow\u2019s decision to go to war with Kyiv. That was prior to the introduction of the TE980M-A1, meaning it must have reached Russian hands through another channel after Nvidia stopped direct sales to the country in early 2022.<\/p>\n
In other words, whatever sanctions the US has enacted or business decisions Nvidia has made, its hardware is still turning up in Russian weaponry used to target Ukrainians. The one good thing about the entire affair, according to GUR, is the fact that the recovered hardware proves Russian tech manufacturing still isn\u2019t up to snuff.<\/p>\n
According to Nvidia, Orin modules are consumer grade and are sold to all sorts of different people for all sorts of purposes, with military applications not being among their intended design. The chips aren\u2019t supposed to be available in Russia, either, a spokesperson told The Register, adding that there are plenty of ways for Russia to get ahold of the chips that are out of its control.<\/p>\n
\u201cPre-owned Jetsons are available through many reseller channels,\u201d Nvidia told us. \u201cAlthough we cannot track products after they are sold, if we determine that any customer is violating U.S. export controls, we will take appropriate action."<\/p>\n
US export controls have restricted exports of advanced chips to Russia and China. Chipmakers have responded to China-specific restrictions by producing hardware designed to comply with US export rules, while third parties have allegedly used smuggling to get restricted higher-end components into China.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not clear how the Nvidia component ended up in Russian hands. GUR\u2019s latest disclosures also document Chinese-made electronics in Russian weapons.<\/p>\n
However the salvaged chip made its way to Russia, GUR said its evidence shows that current export control regimes aren\u2019t working.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe discovery of Nvidia Jetson in a new Russian missile once again demonstrates the need for increased sanctions pressure and coordination of the efforts of the civilized world,\u201d the intelligence agency said. \u00ae<\/p>\n