US allegation: DeepSeek developed with banned chips... Smuggling accusations against the Chinese

Following the release of its new artificial intelligence model R1, DeepSeek caused 'historic' drops in the shares of technology companies traded on US stock exchanges. The fact that the company produced technology that cost billions of dollars to develop for 5.5 million dollars has sparked debates over whether it bypassed chip export restrictions.

The US Department of Commerce has begun examining whether the Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek used chips that fall under US export bans. Sources close to the matter stated that the department is investigating DeepSeek's access to prohibited technologies.

DeepSeek has recently drawn attention by launching a low-cost and efficient artificial intelligence assistant. With the Chinese company's success, there has been a significant decline in the shares of US technology companies.

DeepSeek's success did not only catch the attention of US technology companies. Following its competitor's release of the R1 model, China's Alibaba made its artificial intelligence model Qwen 2.5, which it claims is more advanced, available for use.

NVIDIA ACCUSED DEEPSEEK OF SMUGGLING

The US has been implementing strict export restrictions to prevent Nvidia's advanced artificial intelligence chips from reaching China. Despite this, allegations have surfaced that China is conducting illegal chip trade through countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates.

Speaking to Reuters, an Nvidia official alleged that their customers in Singapore were engaged in activities that violated export bans. Nvidia announced last week that necessary steps would be taken if illegal activities were detected.

The Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry stated that there is no evidence that DeepSeek accessed banned chips. The ministry emphasized that laws are strictly enforced in the country and that a 'zero tolerance' policy is followed against illegal activities.

The company's founder, Liang Wenfeng, emphasized that his main goal is to reach AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). AGI is theoretically known as an artificial intelligence model capable of thinking for itself. There is no known AGI model in the world. Some experts argue that it is impossible to build AGI because it 'cannot achieve self-awareness.'

HOW WAS DEEPSEEK DEVELOPED?

US officials noted that DeepSeek used Nvidia H800 chips that it purchased legally in 2023, but it is not yet clear whether it accessed other banned chips. It was also learned that the company used Nvidia H20 chips, which are permitted for sale to China.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei suggested that some of DeepSeek's chip fleet might have been sent to China before they were banned. Amodei also pointed to the possibility that some chips might have been obtained through illegal means.

The US administration announced that it plans to expand its regulations restricting the export of artificial intelligence chips to China. In this context, it is stated that some chips currently permitted for sale may also be banned.

DeepSeek and the US Department of Commerce have not yet made an official statement regarding the allegations.

News Source: 12punto