DeepSeek plans to train its next AI on Huawei chips, not Nvidia's

DeepSeek plans to train its next model, V5, primarily on Huawei's Ascend 950 chips, with the project expected to materialize in 2027 — the first time the lab would train a frontier model on domestic hardware instead of Nvidia's, according to Chinese outlets Caiwen News and Star Market Daily, as reported by TrendForce.

The push is practical, not patriotic: U.S. export controls limit DeepSeek's access to Nvidia's latest chips, and its approved H-series GPUs are reportedly struggling to meet the training demands of the next generation. V5 is still in the selection phase, with no confirmed specs or launch date — and neither DeepSeek nor Huawei has confirmed the plan.