Russian Missiles Employ Nvidia AI Chip for Targeting Ukraine

Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported that fragments of a Russian S‑71 “Monochrome” cruise missile contained an Nvidia Jetson Orin module. The missile is capable of autonomous operation, using optical sensors and onboard computing to locate and strike targets.

The recovered component is a Jetson Orin NX 16GB (TE980M‑A1) released in early 2023. It integrates up to eight Arm Cortex‑A78AE CPU cores, an RTX‑30‑based GPU with 1024 CUDA cores and 32 tensor cores, delivering up to 157 TOPS INT8 performance, and includes a dedicated NVDLA engine and vision accelerator. The module is positioned for space‑constrained, power‑limited visual‑processing scenarios such as battery‑powered drones and mobile robots.

Although Nvidia withdrew from the Russian market in 2022, before the TE980M‑A1 launch, the chip still appeared in Russian weaponry, indicating it entered Russia through secondary channels. Nvidia states the Orin modules are consumer‑grade products intended for a broad audience and not designed for military use. A company spokesperson noted that while Nvidia cannot track resale of its products, it will take appropriate action if any customer violates U.S. export regulations.

GUR concluded that the discovery of Nvidia’s Jetson system in a new Russian missile underscores the ineffectiveness of current export‑control measures. Kyiv’s government is urging Nvidia to strengthen oversight to prevent its AI chips from being incorporated into Moscow’s weapons systems.