A U.S. congressional inquiry is examining the Chinese AI firm DeepSeek, which is believed to have used a significant number of Nvidia GPUs, potentially contravening U.S. export laws. Recent reports indicate that DeepSeek may have trained its advanced language model utilizing over 60,000 GPUs, including high-performance models such as the A100 and H100. These models are subject to export restrictions aimed at limiting China’s access to advanced technology.
Investigation Details
The House Select Committee on the CCP has raised concerns that Nvidia’s hardware was redirected to DeepSeek via intermediaries, particularly in Singapore. Financial reports from Nvidia show a marked increase in shipments to Singapore—jumping from 5% in mid-FY 2023 to 18% by FY 2025—following the introduction of export restrictions. This trend raises suspicions that Singapore is being used as a transshipment point for restricted technologies intended for Chinese firms.
Legal and Regulatory Actions
In light of these suspicions, the House Committee has requested extensive documentation from Nvidia. This includes a list of all customers in China and ASEAN nations who purchased significant quantities of AI GPUs since 2020. The committee aims to ascertain whether Nvidia was aware of the end destinations for its products.
Nvidia’s Response
Nvidia has denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the billing addresses for many clients are located in Singapore. The company contends that products are shipped to various locations, including the United States and Taiwan, not directly to China. Nvidia emphasized its compliance with U.S. government regulations governing international sales.
Recent Arrests in Singapore
Statements from Lawmakers
Representative John Moolenaar, chair of the Select Committee, expressed grave concerns about the potential misuse of American technology, stating that tools like DeepSeek are leveraging U.S. innovations to further adversarial goals. The committee’s actions reflect a broader effort to safeguard American interests and ensure compliance with export laws.