A powerful American-made computing platform has turned up where Moscow would least want it, raising fresh questions about Russia’s weapons supply chain.

The Nvidia Jetson Orin computer module has been found in the new Russian S-71 “Monochrome” cruise missile. According to the Main Directorate of Intelligence, its presence may indicate the use of artificial intelligence technologies in the missile.

Nvidia Jetson Orin is a series of microcomputers developed by the American technology company NVIDIA. These modules can perform up to 275 trillion operations per second and feature an integrated trained artificial intelligence system.

Foreign Components in Russian Weapons

The Main Directorate of Intelligence added Nvidia Jetson Orin to the “Components in Weapons” section of the War& Sanctions portal. It already contains information on 35 types of electronic components identified in Russian weapons systems.

The collected data makes it possible to determine which foreign technologies Russia uses in the development and production of weapons. This information is also essential for strengthening sanctions and restrictions intended to complicate the supply of such components.

Components previously identified in Russian weapons include:

elements of a passive radar seeker that Russia began installing on Geran-2 UAVs to detect and strike the air defense systems and radar stations of Ukraine’s Defense Forces;
the Chinese Honpho TS130C-01 camera, found in the Geran-4 jet-powered UAV;
components of the active homing seeker of the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile.

Intelligence Directorate Calls for Stronger Sanctions Pressure

Intelligence officials emphasized that Russia continues to depend on foreign high-tech components despite attempts to create domestic alternatives.

The War& Sanctions portal’s two years of experience show that Russia is still unable to fully replace foreign high-tech components with domestic alternatives. The discovery of Nvidia Jetson in a new Russian missile once again demonstrates the need to increase sanctions pressure and coordinate the efforts of the civilized world

– Main Directorate of Intelligence

The discovery of the Nvidia Jetson Orin module in the S-71 “Monochrome” missile may indicate Russia’s efforts to integrate more sophisticated data-processing and artificial intelligence systems into its weapons.