US EditionIs China's DeepSeek Using Smuggled Blackwell AI Chips? Nvidia says...
Nvidia denies DeepSeek's use of unauthorized Blackwell chips amid U.S. export ban and political tensions over AI technology access.
- On Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, Nvidia Corp. refuted a report that DeepSeek used smuggled Blackwell chips while Jensen Huang was publicly in Washington.
- U.S. export restrictions on Blackwell chips have barred Blackwell-class GPUs to China, and The Information alleged unauthorized shipments fueled DeepSeek's rapid ascent with its R1 model.
- Nvidia's spokesperson said it hasn't seen substantiation of `phantom datacenters` and is developing an optional location-verification capability to help data-centre operators and OEM partners.
- Regulators and industry are facing increased pressure to tighten tracking and enforcement of chip shipments, while chipmakers and export-control enforcement across jurisdictions must improve coordination.
- Blackwell-Class GPUs represent a crucial edge in AI training, and if smuggling occurred, authorities would face tough tracing challenges; President Donald Trump said H200 shipments to approved customers must yield the U.S. 25% of sales.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Is China's DeepSeek using smuggled Blackwell AI chips? Nvidia says...
A storm is brewing around DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup whose rapid rise in 2025 shook up global tech markets. Recent reports allege the company may have used thousands of Nvidia Blackwell GPUs — chips banned from export to China by smuggling them through third-countries. Nvidia, however, is pushing back, saying it has found no evidence of improper activity and pledging to investigate any credible tips.
China's DeepSeek Using Banned Nvidia Chips To Develop Next Major Model
China's DeepSeek Using Banned Nvidia Chips To Develop Next Major Model Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has been using 'several thousand' banned Nvidia Blackwell chips to develop its next major model, The Information reports, citing six people with knowledge of the matter. The chips in question were smuggled into China through a complex scheme that involves sending them to data centers in countries that are allowed to purchase them - then dismantlin…
DeepSeek, a rising Chinese AI company, has allegedly snuck in Nvidia chips to China illegally.
DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, is the target of recent allegations that it used banned Nvidia chips to build its latest models.The Information states that several thousand powerful Blackwell chips have been smuggled into the country by DeepSeek to use in building and training its newest AI model.Nvidia's Blackwell chips are reportedly banned by the US from export to China, curbing China's attempts to lead AI technology in the US and around the …
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