The failure, along with challenges with data labeling, ultimately delayed the release of DeepSeek R2 as the company started anew, using Nvidia's H20 GPUs instead. The company has reportedly relegated Huawei's Ascend accelerators to inference duty.

DeepSeek delayed the launch of its R2 model after Huawei chips failed in training, forcing reliance on Nvidia processors and highlighting limits of China's push for domestic AI technology.

Chinese authorities reportedly told DeepSeek to use Huawei’s chips in the wake of a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to prohibit the export of Nvidia’s popular H20 GPU to China. The ban came into effect immediately following the April announcement.