DeepSeek, a Chinese AI firm, is under scrutiny for allegedly supporting China's military and intelligence operations. A U.S. official claims DeepSeek attempted to bypass export controls by using Southeast Asian shell companies to acquire high-end semiconductors, specifically Nvidia's H100 chips, which have been restricted from export to China since 2022. These restrictions are in place due to concerns that China could use these chips to advance its military capabilities.
The U.S. official stated that DeepSeek has access to a significant number of H100 chips and is attempting to access data centres in Southeast Asia to remotely utilise U.S. chips. While it remains unconfirmed whether DeepSeek successfully evaded export controls, these allegations raise concerns about potential violations of U.S. trade regulations. The U.S. government's assessment of DeepSeek's activities comes amid ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China.
DeepSeek gained prominence in January after claiming its AI models rivalled or surpassed leading U.S. models at a lower cost. The company's alleged actions are now under investigation, with potential implications for U.S.-China relations and the enforcement of export controls on advanced technologies.
