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Classified estimates show the NSA is paying billions to test AI models

178 points · 108 comments · rdmuser

  1. hosel · · focus · HN ↗
    Why wouldn’t they be? How is this surprising. A drop in the bucket.
    1. ForHackernews · · focus · HN ↗
      Why are they paying? What kind of elite hackers are they? Why haven't they already exfiltrated the weights and running these things on their own giant classified infrastructure?
      1. bhouston · · focus · HN ↗
        I wouldn't be surprised if the NSA is GPU constrained and it just isn't worth it to replicate all that infrastructure.
        1. ForHackernews · · focus · HN ↗
          Maybe? Hard to speculate what they have <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;worldstopdatacenters.com&#x2F;nsa-bumblehive&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;worldstopdatacenters.com&#x2F;nsa-bumblehive&#x2F;
        2. robinsinclair · · focus · HN ↗
          I wouldn’t be surprised if NSA purchased equipment using a method akin to greymarketing where the supplier either

          A) doesn’t know the true destination of the parts, including purchases through an agency other than NSA, or purchase by multiple “individuals”

          B) NSA has arrangements to compensate manufacturers using black budget line items and gov projects line items where disclosure of the production or even something like funding of a stand-up of a factory is not clearly delineated or otherwise inaccurately designated in SEC and IRS filings. More so I’m pretty sure there is a named procedure&#x2F;process and maybe even a working group or sub-unit, similarly bearing a unique cryptonym, enabling the large scale acquisition of goods while keeping the regular record publication flows ignorant.

          1. bhouston · · focus · HN ↗
            China has proved there is a massive grey market for gpus.
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