AI accelerators are export controlled, hardware that can run AI models locally is not.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works .
According to the claims, the module in question carries an Nvidia chip marked as SNVUP6.MOP TE980M-A1 and resembles the Jetson Orin NX 8GB/16GB system-on-module . The Orin NX is an automotive-grade SoM based on a system-on-chip featuring up to eight Arm Cortex-A78AE cores, a GPU featuring Ampere architecture with 1024 CUDA cores and 32 Tensor cores that provide up to 157 sparse INT8 TOPS performance for AI, dedicated NVDLA engines, and a vision accelerator. The unit has been shipping since 2023, though based on the markings on the chip purportedly found in the missile, it was packaged in March, 2025.
"Our Jetson Orin modules are consumer-grade products sold to students, developers, and startups for a wide range of beneficial applications," an Nvidia spokesperson told Tom's Hardware . "They are not available in Russia and are not designed for military purposes. Pre-owned Jetsons are available through many reseller channels. Although 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."
Nvidia positions Jetson Orin NX as a solution for space- and power-constrained applications that need vision, but cannot accommodate more powerful and power-hungry solutions, which essentially means drones and mobile robots that work on battery power. Conceptually, an Orin NX could function as a dedicated electro-optical perception computer that can recognize images locally and pass the information to a separate flight-control/guidance system.
In the S-71 'Monochrome' missile, capabilities of Nvidia's Jetson Orin NX are potentially useful as the compute engine behind an electro-optical perception system (based on a Honpho TS130C-01 module that is made in China) that recognizes images in real time and assists terminal guidance. As per Militarnyi, the S-71M 'Monochrome' can be fired from Su-57 fighters or S-70 Okhotnik drones. With a range of up to 300km, it carries a 250k high-explosive fragmentation bomb as its payload.
Chinese military has been acquiring Nvidia chips, even post-Washington export controls, research claims
China's Moonshot AI reportedly used Nvidia Blackwell chips for training Kimi K3
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/nvidia-jetson-chip-found-in-russian-cruise-missile-ukraine-claims-presence-in-s-71-monochrome-weapon-may-indicate-use-of-ai-tech#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com/membership
- Nvidia doubles RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell's MSRP to a staggering $16,000 — 96GB card started pre-orders below $8,000 last year
- AMD borrows $4.75 billion for 'general corporate purposes' — company gives no insight into how it plans to spend cash injection
- PBS broadcaster loses access to 50TB of data comprising 70 years of TV history after contracted cloud storage vendor goes defunct — public TV channel sues Iron
- How optical interconnects and silicon photonics emerged as AI's next hot commodity — looming US-China summit puts photonics into the crosshairs
- Older Raptor Lake CPUs are a ‘core part of the portfolio’ for years to come, says Intel — there’s been a ‘sudden inrush of demand’ for LGA 1700 chips due to DDR
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.