Chinese artificial intelligence giant DeepSeek is voluntarily supporting China's military and intelligence operations and bypassing U.S. export controls to gain access to advanced AI chips, Reuters reported on Monday, citing a senior U.S. official.
An anonymous source at the U.S. State Department said DeepSeek “has supported and likely will continue to support” Beijing’s military and intelligence operations, including sharing user data with China’s surveillance apparatus. DeepSeek’s name appears on more than 150 procurement documents for China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and the company has also provided technology services to its research institutions.
The official, quoted by Reuters, added that DeepSeek is trying to circumvent US trade restrictions by using front companies in Southeast Asian countries to acquire advanced chips.
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DeepSeek also allegedly gained access to “large quantities” of advanced Nvidia H100 chips, which are subject to U.S. export restrictions from 2022 due to U.S. concerns about their use for military or AI development purposes. The company is attempting to circumvent these controls by remotely accessing the American chips in data centers in Southeast Asia.
Chatbot DeepSeek gained notoriety in January. The company says its AI models match or exceed leading U.S. models at a fraction of the cost.
The information about the company's ties to the Chinese government and military, which have not been previously disclosed, comes in the context of the wide-ranging trade war between the United States and China, Reuters notes.
A spokesman for Nvidia said the company does not support entities that violate U.S. export controls. DeepSeek did not respond to Reuters' questions about the allegations. (PAP)
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