US lawmaker flags Nvidia tech use by China's PLA, urges tighter chip export controls

Washington DC [US], January 30 : Chairman John Moolenaar of the Select Committee on China sent a letter to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick describing how Nvidia products were allegedly used by the Chinese Communist Party-backed artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek and subsequently acquired by the People's Liberation Army (PLA), as noted by the Select Committee on China (SCC) press release.
In the letter, Moolenaar explained that materials submitted to the committee showed Nvidia had provided technical assistance to an AI model that was later deployed within PLA systems, and he reiterated the importance of ensuring that exported chips are not used to enhance China's military capabilities.
In the letter, Moolenaar wrote that although Nvidia claimed its engagement with DeepSeek was intended "to promote the [AI] ecosystem flywheel and improve NVIDIA's products," documents reviewed by the committee showed that Nvidia had delivered extensive technical support that enabled DeepSeek, now incorporated into PLA systems and identified as a significant cybersecurity risk, to develop advanced AI capabilities.
He said these findings underscored the need for strict enforcement of the Commerce Department's H200 export rule, which requires certification that exported chips will not be used for military purposes, even if such enforcement effectively blocks H200 exports to the People's Republic of China altogether, according to the SCC press release.
Moolenaar further stated that, as outlined in the committee's April 2025 report, DeepSeek did not operate as a standard commercial AI platform.
He said the system routed data belonging to Americans back to the PRC through infrastructure linked to a US-designated Chinese military company, altered outputs to comply with Chinese Communist Party propaganda and censorship requirements, misappropriated intellectual property from leading US AI firms, and operated using advanced Nvidia chips that were restricted from export to China, as noted by the SCC press release.
The letter concluded with two recommendations aimed at strengthening US national security. These included clarifying H200 export restrictions to introduce safeguards that would effectively and reliably prevent prohibited end users from obtaining the level of access that the PLA reportedly gained through DeepSeek, and imposing tighter controls on PRC-origin AI models to address the risks associated with the use of AI systems developed by Chinese entities such as DeepSeek, Alibaba, and Tencent within the United States, according to the SCC press release.