US House of Representatives Member: Nvidia Helps DeepSeek Develop AI Model Used by Chinese Military

John Moolenaar, a Republican from Michigan (photo: x @RiponAdvance)

JAKARTA - The American chipmaker Nvidia is said to have helped Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek refine AI models that were later used by the Chinese military. This was revealed by a member of the US House of Representatives in an official letter to the US Department of Commerce.

The statement was made by John Moolenaar, a Republican from Michigan and chairman of the House Select Committee on China. In his letter to the US Trade Minister, Moolenaar said that internal documents of Nvidia obtained by his committee showed direct technical assistance from Nvidia to DeepSeek.

According to Moolenaar, Nvidia's technology development staff helped DeepSeek improve the efficiency of training AI models through joint optimization between algorithms, frameworks, and hardware.

"Nvidia's internal notes show that Nvidia's technology development personnel helped DeepSeek achieve a major leap in training efficiency through optimization of algorithms, frameworks, and hardware design," Moolenaar wrote in the letter.

He added that the DeepSeek-V3 model only required about 2.788 million GPU hours of H800 for full training, a figure that is considered much lower than the needs of US developers for leading-edge AI models.

DeepSeek had attracted global attention after launching a number of AI models that it claimed could rival US-made AI technology, even though it was developed with more limited computing resources. This triggered concerns in Washington regarding the effectiveness of restrictions on the export of advanced chips to China.

Moolenaar stated that Nvidia's technical assistance to DeepSeek occurred in 2024, when there was no public indication that DeepSeek technology was used for the benefit of the Chinese military.

"Nvidia treats DeepSeek as a legitimate commercial partner and provides standard technical support," he wrote.

The H800 chip used by DeepSeek is an Nvidia chip designed specifically for the Chinese market and sold before the US government tightened export controls in 2023. Reuters previously reported that US officials believe DeepSeek is now involved in the development of technology for the Chinese military.

Responding to the issue, Nvidia stated that China has enough domestic chips to meet its own military needs.

"China has millions of domestic chips that are sufficient for all its military applications. It makes no sense for the US military to use Chinese technology, with the Chinese military relying on American technology," Nvidia said in an official statement.

The case has reignited a debate in the US about the need for tighter oversight of export licenses and technical support for American technology companies so they are not misused for foreign military interests.