DeepSeek, a Chinese AI firm, is accused by a senior U.S. official of supporting China’s military and intelligence services, sharing user data with Beijing, and using Southeast Asian shell companies to bypass U.S. export controls on advanced AI chips. Despite public claims of limited resources, the company reportedly accessed large volumes of restricted Nvidia H100 chips and appears in over 150 Chinese military procurement records. The firm reportedly accessed large amounts of restricted NVIDIA H100 chips and appears in over 150 procurement records associated with the Chinese military. Cochrane is not surprised that DeepSeek would be involved with the Chinese military, discussing the company’s tactics to bypass export restrictions through Southeast Asian shell companies. He shares insights on how Chinese law requires companies to provide data to the government, raising concerns about privacy for global users who may unwittingly contribute information to Chinese military operations.