Mechanisms · category

Remote & side-channel sensing

Inferring activity from outside or from physical signals: detecting data centres, classifying workloads from power or other emissions.

Name	Type	Development	Security evidence	Verifies	Threat model
On-chip telemetry from timing, memory and performance counters On-chip measurements, such as task timings, whether data sits in chip memory, and performance counters, used as statistical evidence of what AI chips are running.	Mechanism	Research demonstration Research demonstration for workload evidence from GPU counters and timing, assuming authentic measurements. Medium confidence. Mechanism · Semi-trusted prover	Published attack testing · developers	This compute runs inference, not training Declared hardware is idle or shut down A training run stayed within declared limits	Semi-trusted prover
Workload classification from telemetry and side channels Inferring from GPU counters or power draw whether chips are training models, serving them or doing non-AI work, without reading weights or data.	Mechanism	Research demonstration Research demonstration for telling training from inference and other work using genuine telemetry, including disguised workloads. Medium confidence. Mechanism · Adversarial prover	Published attack testing · developers	This compute runs inference, not training A training run stayed within declared limits	Adversarial prover
Remote detection of data centres Remote detection tracks known large data centres and estimates their power capacity without site access, using satellite imagery, heat signatures and public records.	Mechanism	Proposed Proposed for finding undeclared data centres above an agreed compute threshold. Medium confidence. Mechanism · Adversarial prover	Published analysis or argument	There is no undeclared relevant compute Compute stock is at most a declared amount	Adversarial prover

Includes records that list this as a secondary category. Claims in grey italics are supported rather than aimed at.