Remix.run Logo
jmyeet 3 days ago

This is the least surprising thing ever and was highly suspected when DeepSeek released their original model.

We've also seen this with sanctions on Russia but they still somehow bought a bunch of TI chips for missiles [1].

As many here know, the US restricts the export of certain technology to China because reasons. This includes lithography machines from ASML, a Dutch company, who have a monopoly on the latest EUV processes. It's geopolitically interesting that the big buyer of ASML products are TSMC in TAiwan as well as Samsung in South Korea (and possibly Japan?).

I expect this will become a national security issue for China and long-term you will see China try and replicate the best lithographic processes and chips such that the gap will greatly narrow. This will take years and involves a lot of depenedent industries but of anyone China has shown the willingness, ability and resolve to pursue decades-long infrastructure and national security projects.

In the meantime, bans on GPU exports to China will continue to be circumvented (eg [2]) and honestly there's no real reason for those export restrictions anyway.

[1]: https://archive.is/S2uD4

[2]: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-justice-department-ac...