Hangzhou DeepSeek developing inference chip to reduce foreign hardware reliance
DeepSeek, a Hangzhou-based AI startup, is working on its own inference chip so it can run advanced models and chatbots without relying on big names like NVIDIA or Huawei.
If they pull it off, DeepSeek could help China rely less on foreign hardware and bring fresh competition to a $50 billion market mostly ruled by Huawei, Alibaba, and Baidu.
DeepSeek quietly hired chip engineers
DeepSeek kicked off this project about a year ago, quietly hiring chip engineers and teaming up with outside design firms.
The push comes after US export bans made getting top NVIDIA chips tough, so Chinese startups like DeepSeek are betting on local innovation instead.
Founder Liang Wenfeng has mentioned that chip export controls were a challenge for the company, but the team seems determined to make it work.