Nvidia Jetson AI Chip Discovered in Russian S-71 Monochrome Cruise Missile

Nvidia Jetson chip found in Russian cruise missile, Ukraine claims -- presence in S-71 'Monochrome' weapon may indicate use of AI tech

AI accelerators are export controlled, hardware that can run AI models locally is not. Russia's latest S-71 'Monochrome' cruise missiles use Nvidia's Jetson Orin modules with artificial intelligence capabilities, the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine claimed on Wednesday. The S-71 'Monochrome' is distinguished by reduced observability and autonomous targeting capability, reports Militarnyi. Nvidia says the Jetson Orin is a consumer-grade device that is not export-controlled and is not officially available in Russia. 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 October, 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. Previously, Ukrainian intelligence reported that Russia used Nvidia's Jetson Orin NX modules in its Shahed MS001 autonomous drones for local decision-making and terminal guidance. Nvidia's Jetson Orin NX modules have been shipping since 2023 and are widely available, which means that Nvidia sells hundreds of thousands, if not millions, every year. Meanwhile, the majority of Jetson Orin NX-based products available in retail are not the SoMs themselves, but rather small-form-factor systems or development kits. The modules are available too, though not as widely. For example, a German store sells them for €685 with a 19% VAT. In any case, while the American government does export control for high-end AI accelerators like Nvidia's H100 or B200, which can be used to train AI models that can later be used for military purposes, it does not export control hardware that can run these models locally. Ultimately, the models are trained anyway, and the hardware that can use them is readily available. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.

Russian missile uses Nvidia AI chip to help target Ukraine

Sanctions and Nvidia's exit from Russia in 2022 haven't stopped its Jetson Orin hardware from turning up in Russian missiles, according to Ukrainian military intelligence. The Defense Ministry's 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. "The use of this component may indicate the use of artificial intelligence technologies in the missile," GUR said. That assumption makes sense, as information on the S-71M suggests that it can operate with user oversight or entirely autonomously. 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's a capable chip, but not exactly datacenter-class hardware - Orin systems are designed precisely for use cases like autonomous systems. Nvidia used to have offices in Russia and do business there, but it closed up shop in Ukraine's bellicose neighbor in 2022 following Moscow's 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. 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't up to snuff. 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't 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. "Pre-owned Jetsons are available through many reseller channels," Nvidia told us. "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." 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. It's not clear how the Nvidia component ended up in Russian hands. GUR's latest disclosures also document Chinese-made electronics in Russian weapons. However the salvaged chip made its way to Russia, GUR said its evidence shows that current export control regimes aren't working. "The 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," the intelligence agency said. ®