DeepSeek Accessed Blackwell Processors Despite U.S. AI Chip Export Ban, Report Shows

In Focus

• U.S. official says Blackwell chips may have been used to train DeepSeek AI models
• Blackwell chips are NVIDIA’s most advanced AI chips
• The move could deepen AI chip tensions between Washington and Beijing

Chinese firm DeepSeek may have used NVIDIA’s Blackwell chips to train its AI model despite the U.S. export restrictions. Reuters reported the news on February 24, 2026, citing a government official. According to the official, the U.S. government believes that Blackwell chips are being used in a DeepSeek data center located in Inner Mongolia.

The official added that it’s highly likely DeepSeek relied on the distillation of AI models developed by top U.S. AI firms, including OpenAI, Google, xAI, and Anthropic.

DeepSeek Likely Violated U.S. Chip Export Rules

These developments present a potential violation of U.S. export controls by DeepSeek, and will likely deepen U.S.- China AI chip tensions. In Washington, the developments could divide opinions on how the U.S. should restrict Chinese access to advanced AI hardware.

But critics worry that advanced chips intended for business use may be redirected to boost China’s military capabilities, potentially challenging America’s leadership in the AI race.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and White House AI advisor David Sacks have argued that allowing the sale of advanced AI chips to China could slow Chinese rivals.

The two hold that access to U.S. technology would reduce the pressure on companies like Huawei to focus on developing alternatives to NVIDIA and AMD chips. The U.S. policy on barring shipment of Blackwell processors to China remains effective.

The U.S. government was convinced that DeepSeek would eliminate technical indicators that could expose its use of American-made AI chips. The media report did not provide details on how DeepSeek accessed NVIDIA’s most advanced chips, or how authorities in the U.S. obtained the intelligence.

President Trump Approved H200 Sale to China

U.S. President Donald Trump had allowed NVIDIA to sell a lower version of Blackwell chips in China in August 2025. The President retracted this decision, indicating that the most advanced chips are to be reserved for American companies only.

In December 2025, the U.S. government allowed NVIDIA to sell H200 chips to China, a move that attracted sharp criticism from critics. But the shipment of NVIDIA’s second most advanced product stalled over the strict approval process. It remains unclear how the latest discovery will affect the government’s decision to allow H200 sales in China.

China Criticizes U.S. Claim

China has criticized the U.S. for politicizing trade and technology matters. Through its embassy in the U.S, the Asian country accused Washington of overstretching national security concepts.

But U.S. security experts who served under the Biden administration have argued that China’s dependence on smuggled Blackwells indicates a shortfall in locally-made AI chips. They argue that approving the sale of H200 chips to China would provide a lifeline to Beijing.

“This shows why exporting any AI chips to China is so dangerous. Given China’s leading AI companies are brazenly violating US export controls, we obviously cannot expect that they will comply with US conditions that would prohibit them from using chips to support the Chinese military,” Former National Security Council Official under President Joe Biden, Chris McGuire noted.