US concern: Is DeepSeek using restricted AI chips?

[Admin]

The U.S. Commerce Department is looking into whether DeepSeek, the Chinese company behind the AI model that has been making waves, is using U.S. chips that aren't supposed to be sent to China. DeepSeek launched a free AI assistant last week, claiming it uses less data and costs much less than U.S. models. Within days, it became the most downloaded app in Apple's App Store and raised concerns about the U.S.'s lead in AI, which caused a big drop in U.S. tech stocks.



There are restrictions on Nvidia's AI chips to prevent their most advanced models from being shipped to China. However, there's been evidence of organized smuggling of these chips into China from countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and the UAE.

The Commerce Department and DeepSeek have not responded to requests for comment. Nvidia, however, said it ensures its partners follow all laws and would act if any violations are found. Singapore's trade ministry also commented, saying there's no reason to believe DeepSeek got any restricted products from Singapore, though it didn't confirm whether the chips came through intermediaries.

DeepSeek has mentioned using Nvidia's H800 chips, which it legally purchased in 2023. It also reportedly has Nvidia's less powerful H20 chips, which can still be shipped to China. The U.S. has considered restricting these as well.

The CEO of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, pointed out that DeepSeek's AI chips likely include both those that were shipped before the ban and others that may have been smuggled in. The U.S. has placed strict controls on AI chip exports to China and plans to limit shipments to other countries as well.