The Chinese authorities have signalled a tougher stand on technology and trade through DeepSeek, an artificial intelligence (AI) firm that has chosen not to work with leading US chipmakers ahead of its next major model launch. According to a Reuters report, the company has withheld early access to its upcoming AI model from American firms such as Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, breaking with common industry practice. Instead, it has shared early versions only with Chinese partners, a move that comes amid long-running tensions between Washington and Beijing over chips, AI, and trade controls.Citing people familiar with the matter, the report said that DeepSeek did not provide pre-release access of its next flagship model, known as V4, to Nvidia or AMD. This is in contrast to the past when DeepSeek worked directly with Nvidia’s technical teams.For the V4 update, however, DeepSeek reportedly gave domestic suppliers, including Huawei Technologies, early access weeks in advance. This allowed Chinese chipmakers more time to optimise the software for their own processors. Nvidia and AMD declined to comment, while DeepSeek and Huawei did not respond to requests for comment.
Background: chips, controls and rising tensions
The move comes against the backdrop of years of US efforts to limit China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology. Washington has imposed export controls on high-end AI chips, arguing they could be used for military or surveillance purposes. China has repeatedly criticised these restrictions, calling them unfair and harmful to global trade.DeepSeek rose to global attention last year after releasing a low-cost AI model that soon became popular, challenging US dominance in the field. Its models have since been downloaded more than 75 million times on the open-source platform Hugging Face, helping fuel the rapid growth of Chinese open-source AI.
Questions over US chips and future signals
A senior US official told Reuters that DeepSeek’s latest model may have been trained using Nvidia’s advanced Blackwell chips in China, potentially in violation of US export rules. The official added that DeepSeek could try to remove signs of using American chips and publicly claim it relied on Huawei hardware instead.Analysts say the direct impact on US firms may be limited for now, but the message could be broader. The decision to prioritise domestic partners is being viewed as part of China’s wider push to reduce reliance on U.S. technology and strengthen its own AI and semiconductor ecosystem.
