Banned GPUs Help North Korea Expand Crypto Heists

According to a recent report by The Chosun Ilbo, North Korea is using banned NVIDIA graphics cards (specifically GeForce RTX 2700) to advance its artificial intelligence (AI) research.

The GPUs are being used for such operations as cryptocurrency theft, deepfakes, and surveillance.

This is alarming because these GPUs are subject to U.S. export controls and are restricted from going to North Korea.

NVIDIA GPUs, like the GeForce RTX 2700, are banned for export to countries like North Korea mainly due to national security and sanctions reasons since GPUs are considered “dual-use” technology that is artificial intelligence (AI) research, cryptography, and so on.

Despite sanctions, Pyongyang has been steadily building AI capabilities for decades.

North Korea is not using the highest-end AI models, but even mid-level GPUs allow substantial computational power for:

North Korea’s crypto thefts

North Korea began showing serious interest in cryptocurrency around 2017. Crypto thefts help it to bypass international sanctions and generate untraceable revenue.

The country is believed to have targeted cryptocurrency exchanges using hackers trained by state-sponsored units. Lazarus Group is the most notable one. It is believed to be linked to the Reconnaissance General Bureau (North Korea’s military intelligence).

With AI, crypto theft can be scaled up. According to a 2025 report, North Korea–linked hacking teams are now using advanced AI tools to scan codebases, detect vulnerabilities in smart contracts, and so on. Hackers have created fake recruiter profiles, often using AI to generate convincing identities or messages.