Qwenputer: A functioning, deterministic RISC-V CPU inside Qwen3.5(divagr.com)
689 points by csmantle 1 day ago | 145 comments
tl;dr: A researcher compiled a working 32-bit RISC-V CPU (RV32IM) directly into the weights of Qwen 3.5 4B, using the model's Gated DeltaNet attention layers as exact, addressable RAM—no training, external tools, or sandboxes involved. The CPU runs during forward passes, executes C and MicroPython, passes official riscv-tests, and boosts arithmetic benchmarks to match or beat giving Qwen a Python tool (e.g., 48.6%→100% on NUPA long-integer math). The author also added an in-weight filesystem and suggests the technique as a testbed for AI safety research on RNN-state reasoning and tamper-proof monitoring.
HN Discussion:
  • ↑Playful amusement about AI safety implications and the 'cursed' nature of the experiment
  • ↑Fascination with the technical mechanism and desire to learn how LLMs work
  • •Pointing to related or prior work doing similar things (WASM in transformers, Loom, AdderBoard)
  • ↑Excitement about running DOOM and absurd compute demonstrations
  • ↑Philosophical reflection on humanity creating minds within minds