# DeepSeek is reportedly designing its own AI chip to reduce reliance on Nvidia and Huawei
> China's DeepSeek is developing its own inference AI chip, reportedly to be manufactured at SMIC, according to anonymously sourced reporting from Reuters; the move would mark a major strategic shift for the company beyond model development into hardware

**Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-07-07 · heads: 장기전, 조용한 변화 · 3 takes · 3 lenses · 3 regions

## Summary

[DeepSeek](/ko/entity/deepseek), the [Chinese](/ko/entity/china) AI company that built low-cost reasoning models at a fraction of Western compute budgets, is reportedly designing its own AI inference chip for fabrication at [SMIC](/ko/entity/corporate/smic), [China](/ko/entity/china)'s largest domestic chipmaker. The report, sourced by Reuters to anonymous people familiar with the matter, signals a strategic expansion from model development into hardware. If confirmed, it would end DeepSeek's current reliance on both Nvidia chips and Huawei's Ascend processors. All sourcing remains anonymous; The Next Web notes that SMIC as a fabrication partner and an inference-focused design are the claims most consistent with known constraints.

## The split

The Next Web (Netherlands) scrutinises the Reuters sourcing carefully and flags the anonymous basis. Japan Times frames the development through the lens of China's broader chip self-sufficiency push, treating it as geopolitically significant regardless of DeepSeek's individual success. No Chinese-language coverage is included in this edition's verified sources, and Huawei's response to the report is absent.

## By the numbers

- 1, the chip's reported focus: inference (running models, not training)
- 0, named sources in the Reuters report, per The Next Web's assessment

## Why it matters

DeepSeek designing its own chip would remove a key hardware dependency and deepen China's AI supply chain independence at a moment when US export controls limit access to advanced chips. SMIC can produce chips on older process nodes; the inference use case is less demanding than training, making the claim technically plausible.

## What to watch

- Whether DeepSeek or SMIC confirm or deny the report
- SMIC's reported process node for the chip, which would indicate performance expectations
- Whether the US adds SMIC to further export restrictions in response

## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens)

### European tech press; evaluates what of the Reuters report holds up given that sources are anonymous
- **The Next Web** (Netherlands, en) — The Next Web reports Reuters' claim that DeepSeek is designing its own inference AI chip to be fabricated at SMIC, and scrutinises the sourcing: all claims are anonymous, and TNW notes what is credible (SMIC as foundry, inference focus) versus unverified. Frames it as a significant but unconfirmed strategic pivot.
  > "Reuters says DeepSeek is designing its own inference AI chip, reportedly fabbed at SMIC. The claims are anonymously sourced, so here is what holds up."
  Source: https://thenextweb.com/news/deepseek-own-ai-chip-smic-inference-report

### Japanese business press; frames the development through the lens of China's chip self-sufficiency drive and geopolitical implications
- **Japan Times** (Japan, en) — Japan Times reports that if DeepSeek succeeds, its expansion into semiconductor development would mark a major strategic shift for a company widely hailed in China as the country's answer to US AI leadership. Frames the development through Japan's interest in monitoring China's chip independence trajectory.
  > "If successful, DeepSeek's expansion into semiconductor development would mark a major strategic shift for a company widely hailed in China."
  Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/07/08/tech/china-deepseek-ai-chip/

### unlabelled
- **Tech Startups** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://techstartups.com/2026/07/07/deepseek-is-building-its-own-ai-chip-to-cut-reliance-on-nvidia-and-huawei/

## Across the graph
- Related: [[deepseek-dossier]], [[deepseek-v4-open-weights-2026]], [[ai-semiconductor-selloff-jun23]], [[anthropic-samsung-chip-2026]]
- Entities: Deepseek, China, China AI

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Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/ko/n/deepseek-own-chip-2026