EMJ Capital President Eric Jackson Analyzes AI Competition, Cybersecurity, and Cryptocurrencies in Trump’s Administration
EMJ Capital President and founder Eric Jackson recently discussed the fierce competition in artificial intelligence (AI), the future of the Stargate project, and the role of cryptocurrencies in cybersecurity during Trump’s administration.
US Investigates Chinese AI Company Deepseek’s Use of NVIDIA Chips
US officials are currently investigating whether Chinese AI company Deepseek utilized more advanced NVIDIA semiconductors in its latest models, which have caused a stir in the tech world. These chips are restricted from export to China, raising concerns about how Deepseek may have accessed them.
Deepseek unveiled new AI models this week, claiming they can compete with those developed by American tech giants but at a fraction of the cost. This has sparked fears that US companies may lose their competitive edge in the AI race to Chinese rivals.
Image Caption: Chatbot app developed by Chinese AI company Deepseek
(Getty Images)
According to Reuters, the US Commerce Department is investigating whether Deepseek obtained AI chips banned from export to China. Reports suggest that smuggling of these chips into China has been traced through countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates. Bloomberg also reported that the department is looking into whether Deepseek accessed NVIDIA’s high-performance chips through third parties in Singapore.
Tech Mogul Questions Deepseek’s Claims, Calls Out Media for “CCP Propaganda”
An NVIDIA spokesperson told Tech Word News that many of its customers have business entities in Singapore, which are used to access products intended for the US and Western markets. “Our public filings do not disclose the locations of our customers,” the spokesperson stated. “We require our partners to comply with all applicable laws and act accordingly if we find evidence to the contrary.”
The Commerce Department did not respond to Tech Word News’ request for comment, and Deepseek could not be reached.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang to Meet Trump at the White House
Amid these developments, President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang at the White House on Friday. The two are expected to discuss AI, the chips required to train AI models, and semiconductor production equipment.
Image Caption: NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang holds AI accelerator chips for data centers
(Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Deepseek’s Use of NVIDIA Chips Under Scrutiny
Deepseek has stated that it used NVIDIA’s H800 chips, which were legally available in 2023. However, it remains unclear whether the company also utilized other restricted chips that are banned from export to China. Deepseek has access to the less powerful H20 NVIDIA chips, which can still be legally shipped to China. The Biden Administration had considered controlling these chips, and the newly appointed Trump officials are reportedly discussing the matter as well.
AI Industry Leader Questions Deepseek’s Claims
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei expressed skepticism about Deepseek’s chip usage, noting that a significant portion of its AI chips likely consists of pre-ban exports, tokens that were not banned, and potentially smuggled components.
The US has implemented several restrictions on the export of AI chips to China and is planning to extend these controls to other countries.
Eric Revell of Tech Word News and Reuters contributed to this report.
