The U.S. administration has raised suspicions that Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek trained its latest AI model—set for release as early as next week—on Nvidia's cutting-edge Blackwell chips, which are subject to U.S. export controls.
A senior Trump administration official raised the allegation on Wednesday, emphasizing that "U.S. policy is not to export Blackwell to China" and that "DeepSeek's mere possession of the chips could constitute a violation of export controls," according to Reuters.
How DeepSeek obtained Blackwell chips has not been confirmed. However, the official said procurement likely occurred through a data center cluster in Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region of China. Reuters noted the matter "could further divide Washington policymakers already at odds over how much access to U.S. AI semiconductors China should be allowed."
U.S. hardliners argue advanced chips must be blocked from reaching China, citing potential military applications. In contrast, White House AI czar David Sacks and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang contend that exporting advanced AI chips to China actually helps contain the rise of Chinese competitors such as Huawei.
President Trump previously opened the door in August last year to selling downgraded Blackwell chips to China but later reversed course. In December, the administration allowed Chinese companies to purchase Nvidia's H200, though actual exports have yet to materialize due to approval issues with Chinese authorities.