Key Highlights
- The upcoming V4 model from DeepSeek will operate on hardware manufactured by Huawei Technologies, The Information reports
- Major Chinese technology companies including Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent have secured bulk chip orders from Huawei — reaching hundreds of thousands of units combined
- DeepSeek collaborated closely with Huawei and Cambricon Technologies to modify portions of V4’s foundational code for compatibility
- The V4 model is anticipated to debut in the coming weeks, with two additional versions currently under development
- Unlike typical industry protocol, DeepSeek bypassed U.S. chip manufacturers for early V4 access
The forthcoming V4 artificial intelligence model from DeepSeek will be powered by processors developed by Huawei Technologies, The Information revealed in a Friday publication.
Five individuals with firsthand knowledge of the development confirmed the information to the publication.
Ahead of the V4 rollout, prominent Chinese technology corporations Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent have secured substantial chip orders from Huawei. These combined purchases encompass hundreds of thousands of processing units.
Industry sources anticipate the model’s public release within several weeks.
DeepSeek, the artificial intelligence startup headquartered in Hangzhou, has dedicated months to collaborative efforts with Huawei and domestic semiconductor designer Cambricon Technologies. The objective centered on modifying and validating sections of V4’s fundamental codebase to ensure compatibility with domestically manufactured hardware.
Two sources familiar with the company’s operations confirmed this partnership.
U.S. Chip Producers Excluded from V4 Early Access
While DeepSeek provided early access privileges to Chinese chip suppliers, including Huawei, before the V4 release, the company notably excluded American chipmakers from this process. This approach deviates from conventional industry standards typically observed prior to significant model launches.
Reuters previously documented this development earlier this year.
The startup is simultaneously developing two supplementary V4 iterations. Each variant targets distinct functionality requirements and operates on Chinese-manufactured semiconductor technology.
Both DeepSeek and Huawei declined to provide comments to Reuters regarding these developments, with requests submitted beyond regular business hours.
Market Impact of DeepSeek’s Prior Releases
When DeepSeek launched its previous models, V3 and R1, global technology markets experienced significant turbulence. The releases prompted investors to reconsider whether American AI corporations required massive capital expenditures on computational infrastructure.
This market response has placed DeepSeek’s forthcoming V4 model under heightened international attention.
The V4 model remains unreleased at present. DeepSeek has not issued an official confirmation regarding the specific launch timeline.
Cambricon Technologies stock experienced a 2.67% increase following the announcement. Alibaba shares declined 1.36% during U.S. market hours and dropped 1.49% in Hong Kong trading.
