Despite US export restrictions, Chinese military institutions continue to use Nvidia hardware, such as A100 chips, with thirty-five patent filings referencing these components, highlighting ongoing reliance on foreign technology.

Official documents and tenders confirm that these AI military developments are part of formal, ongoing projects rather than isolated experiments.

While DeepSeek enjoys strong institutional support and is integrated into military operations by top defense research institutions, experts warn about operational reliability issues, risks of adversarial manipulation, and emphasize the need for layered human oversight.

DeepSeek is designed for energy efficiency, edge deployment, and electromagnetic awareness, making it suitable for UAVs, autonomous vessels, and electronic warfare, with research backing from China’s National University of Defense Technology.

Other nations, including the U.S., Sweden, and Russia, are also exploring AI-driven military drones and weapons, reflecting a global trend toward integrating AI into modern warfare.

Nvidia asserts that China has sufficient domestic chips for military use and that recycling older Nvidia products does not pose significant security risks, emphasizing that restricted Nvidia hardware is not actively used for military purposes.

Chinese universities and tech firms, such as Beihang University and Xi’an Technological University, are developing DeepSeek-powered systems for drone coordination, target tracking, and rapid scenario analysis, significantly reducing planning times.

China is actively developing advanced AI-powered military technologies, including autonomous vehicles, drone swarms, robot dogs, and battlefield decision support systems, with a focus on reducing reliance on Western technology by utilizing domestic AI models like DeepSeek and Huawei chips.

While specific operational details remain classified, procurement records and patents indicate progress in autonomous target recognition and real-time battlefield decision-making, aligning with efforts seen in the U.S. military AI initiatives.

Procurement documents reveal that systems like DeepSeek can analyze thousands of combat scenarios in seconds—10,000 scenarios in just 48 seconds—dramatically reducing planning times from hours to mere moments.

Its advantages include reduced energy consumption, compact size for deployment on drones and autonomous vehicles, and capabilities in electromagnetic awareness and real-time battlefield data integration.

The deployment of DeepSeek signifies a move toward 'computational sovereignty,' fostering an AI-enabled security state that combines data governance with combat readiness, challenging international norms.

The PLA has shown a strong interest in DeepSeek, with recent procurement documents indicating exclusive focus on AI tools based on this technology, primarily awarded to private firms like Shanxi 100 Trust Information Technology.