Anticipation is building within the tech industry as Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic gear up for the imminent release from Chinese AI firm Deepseek. Scheduled for next week, this release is stirring discussions due to the model reportedly being trained on Nvidia's advanced Blackwell chips, despite existing US export restrictions. According to Reuters, which cited a senior official from the previous Trump administration, these chips were possibly acquired under clandestine circumstances, with rumors of smuggling circulating since the end of last year.
The chips are said to be housed in a data center located in Inner Mongolia. There is speculation that Deepseek plans to eliminate any technical traces of US chip utilization before making the model public. Details on how the chips were obtained remain undisclosed, as Nvidia chose not to comment, and both Deepseek and the US Department of Commerce have yet to respond to inquiries from Reuters.
This development comes amidst ongoing concerns from industry leaders like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic, who have reported instances of distillation attacks on their AI models by Chinese companies. In response, OpenAI recently adjusted the interpretation of a well-known coding benchmark, suggesting a strategic shift in anticipation of Deepseek's capabilities.
Deepseek's previous major release in January 2025 had a significant impact on US tech stocks, coinciding with a booming AI market. The current buzz suggests that the upcoming release may once again deliver impressive results at competitive prices, potentially shaking the industry anew.