The U.S. government is looking into whether the Chinese AI company DeepSeek has used restricted semiconductor chips in its AI projects, according to a source familiar with the situation. This investigation comes as Washington tightens export controls on advanced AI chips to China, aiming to limit Beijing’s technological progress in key sectors.
The inquiry, which has not been made public, is part of a larger effort by U.S. authorities to enforce trade restrictions on high-performance chips produced by companies like Nvidia and AMD. These chips are essential for training state-of-the-art AI models and have become a central issue in U.S.-China tech tensions.
DeepSeek, recognized for its sophisticated AI models and language processing abilities, has not yet issued a statement regarding the investigation.
Competing with Western AI leaders such as OpenAI and Google DeepMind, the company recently launched its DeepSeek-V2 model, raising questions about its computational capabilities.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Commerce Department declined to confirm or deny the investigation but emphasized that the Biden administration is dedicated to preventing China from obtaining technology that could be utilized for military or surveillance purposes. This action follows reports that Chinese companies have been stockpiling AI chips in anticipation of new U.S. restrictions that took effect in 2023.
If DeepSeek is found to have breached U.S. trade regulations, it could face penalties, and its access to future AI hardware might be further limited.
This investigation represents the latest development in the ongoing U.S.-China tech rivalry, with Washington striving to maintain its edge in artificial intelligence while restricting China’s capacity to develop competing AI technologies.
