DeepSeek Can Buy Nvidia H200 AI Chips

China is reportedly allowing DeepSeek to buy Nvidia's powerful H200 chips for its large language model (LLM). Reuters, citing unnamed sources, said China will allow DeepSeek to proceed with the purchase, subject to regulatory approval. Nvidia, meanwhile, has indicated that it is unaware of China's approval for DeepSeek. Assuming that Reuters' report is accurate, DeepSeek could be getting a heavy-duty hardware upgrade.

When DeepSeek burst onto the AI scene in January of 2025, the China-based startup's LLM surprised Western AI companies with its capabilities. The US and its allies had spent years attempting to prevent China from acquiring cutting-edge AI hardware (such as Nvidia H200 chips) due to fears that China's military would use the technology. DeepSeek proved to be a formidable AI tool, seemingly built on older, less-expensive hardware than the chips powering Western LLMs.

Since taking the world stage, DeepSeek has sparked concerns among ...