Nvidia's Technical Support to DeepSeek Allegedly Enhanced Chinese Military AI Models
A significant revelation has emerged from Washington regarding the intricate relationship between American technology and China's artificial intelligence ambitions. According to exclusive documents obtained by Reuters, U.S. chipmaker Nvidia provided substantial technical assistance to China's DeepSeek, which subsequently led to the development of AI models employed by the Chinese military.
Lawmaker's Letter Exposes Technical Collaboration Details
Representative John Moolenaar, the Michigan Republican who chairs the House Select Committee on China, disclosed this information in a detailed letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The correspondence, dated Wednesday, outlines how Nvidia's technical support played a crucial role in DeepSeek's AI advancements.
"According to NVIDIA records, NVIDIA technology development personnel helped DeepSeek achieve major training efficiency gains through an 'optimized co-design of algorithms, frameworks, and hardware,'" Moolenaar wrote, citing internal company documentation.
The letter specifically mentions that DeepSeek's training required only 2.788 million H800 GPU hours, significantly less than what U.S. developers typically need for comparable frontier-scale models. This efficiency gain has raised serious questions about the effectiveness of existing export controls.
DeepSeek's Market Impact and Washington's Concerns
DeepSeek made waves in early 2025 when it introduced AI models that rivaled top U.S. offerings while utilizing substantially less computing power. This development alarmed Washington policymakers who had implemented restrictions on high-powered computing chip sales to China.
The achievement has fueled concerns that China could rapidly close the AI technology gap with the United States despite American export limitations.
Moolenaar emphasized that when Nvidia provided this assistance in 2024, there was no public indication that DeepSeek's technology would be utilized by China's military. "Nvidia treated DeepSeek accordingly - as a legitimate commercial partner deserving of standard technical support," he noted in his correspondence.
Nvidia's Response and Ongoing Controversy
Nvidia has responded to these allegations with a firm statement challenging the premise that China's military would depend on American technology. "China has more than enough domestic chips for all of its military applications, with millions to spare. Just like it would be nonsensical for the American military to use Chinese technology, it makes no sense for the Chinese military to depend on American technology," the company asserted.
The H800 chip mentioned in the documents was specifically designed for the Chinese market and sold there before being placed under U.S. export controls in 2023. This revelation comes amid ongoing debates about technology transfer and national security.
Broader Implications for U.S.-China Technology Relations
The controversy extends beyond this specific case to broader questions about technology export policies. Earlier this month, the Trump administration approved sales of Nvidia's more powerful H200 chips to China with certain restrictions, including prohibitions against sales to entities assisting the Chinese military.
This decision has drawn criticism from China hawks across the U.S. political spectrum who worry that such technology transfers could accelerate Beijing's military capabilities and erode America's AI advantage.
Moolenaar's letter raises fundamental questions about enforcement mechanisms. "If even the world's most valuable company cannot rule out the military use of its products when sold to entities, rigorous licensing restrictions and enforcement are essential to prevent such assurances from becoming superficial formalities," he argued.
The lawmaker further warned that "Chips sales to ostensibly non-military end users in China will inevitably result in a violation of the military end use restrictions."
Neither the U.S. Commerce Department nor the Chinese embassy in Washington immediately responded to requests for comment on these developments. DeepSeek also did not respond to inquiries outside of business hours in China.
This unfolding situation highlights the complex challenges facing policymakers as they attempt to balance commercial interests with national security concerns in an increasingly competitive technological landscape between the world's two largest economies.
