US Probing Whether DeepSeek Got Nvidia Chips Through Singapore

US officials are probing whether Chinese AI startup DeepSeek bought advanced Nvidia Corp. semiconductors through third parties in Singapore, circumventing US restrictions on sales of chips used for artificial intelligence tasks, people familiar with the matter said.

Officials in the White House and Federal Bureau of Investigation are also trying to determine whether DeepSeek used intermediaries in the Southeast Asian nation to purchase Nvidia chips that the US has banned from sale to China, said the people, who requested anonymity to relay private conversations.

Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Commerce Department, suggested on Wednesday that DeepSeek evaded US export controls.

“Nvidia’s chips, which they bought tons of, and they found their ways around it, drive their DeepSeek model,” Lutnick, who would enforce semiconductor trade restrictions as the Commerce head, told senators in his confirmation hearing Wednesday. “It’s got to end. If they are going to compete with us, let them compete, but stop using our tools to compete with us. So I’m going to be very strong on that.”