Chinese AI Firm DeepSeek Trained Model on Nvidia Blackwell Chips Despite US Restrictions
DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence company, recently trained its latest AI model using Nvidia’s Blackwell chips, according to a report from Reuters. This occurred despite U.S. Export controls intended to limit China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology. The development underscores the ongoing competition in the AI sector and the challenges in enforcing restrictions on technology transfer.
The news comes as Anthropic, a leading AI safety and research company, accused DeepSeek, along with Moonshot and MiniMax Group Inc, of utilizing large-scale distillation to enhance their models by leveraging capabilities from Anthropic’s Claude. According to Tom’s Hardware, the three companies allegedly made 16 million exchanges using approximately 24,000 fraudulent accounts.
Distillation is a machine learning technique where a smaller model is trained on the outputs of a more powerful model, rather than relying on original data. Whereas not inherently illegitimate, Anthropic argues that this practice, when conducted by entities facing restrictions, violates both U.S. Export controls and their end-user license agreements. “Distillation can be legitimate: AI labs apply it to create smaller, cheaper models for their customers,” Anthropic stated in a post on X.
Earlier on Monday, February 24, 2026, Anthropic likewise alleged that the Chinese firms engaged in an “industrial-scale” effort to copy its technology, as reported by Investing.com. The accusations highlight growing concerns about intellectual property protection and competitive practices within the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Reuters reported that a senior Trump administration official echoed similar allegations against Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, and xAI.
The allegations against DeepSeek, Moonshot, and MiniMax come as China continues to invest heavily in AI development, seeking to develop into a global leader in the field. The use of Nvidia’s Blackwell chips, despite restrictions, demonstrates the lengths to which Chinese companies are going to access cutting-edge technology.
