China's state-owned defense giant, Norinco, unveiled in February a military vehicle capable of autonomously performing combat support operations at a speed of 50 km/h, according to a Reuters report. It is powered by DeepSeek, a company whose AI model is considered the crown jewel of China’s technology sector.
According to the report, the launch of the Norinco P60 vehicle was praised by Communist Party officials in press releases as an early example of how Beijing is using DeepSeek and AI to close the gap in its arms race with the United States, during a period in which leaders of both countries have urged their militaries to prepare for conflict.
AI-Powered Robotic Dogs
Reuters reported that documents obtained by the agency also revealed that China is seeking to develop AI-powered robotic dogs capable of conducting patrols in groups, as well as swarms of drones that can autonomously track targets. Hundreds of research papers, patents, and procurement records show China’s systematic efforts to harness AI capabilities for military advantage.
The report states that the characteristics of the systems behind China’s next-generation weapons and the extent of their deployment are state secrets, but procurement records and patents provide evidence of Beijing’s progress toward capabilities such as automatic target recognition and real-time battlefield decision support, similar to U.S. military capabilities. However, it is not yet possible to determine whether the technology has reached operational deployment.
The report also claims that, according to disclosed documents, tenders, and patents, the Chinese military and its allies continue to use and aim to acquire Nvidia chips, including models subject to U.S. export controls. It is unclear whether these chips were purchased before the U.S. imposed trade restrictions on China, as the documents do not specify when the chips were exported. Patent applications submitted up until last June show their use by research institutes linked to the military. In September 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce banned the export of Nvidia’s popular A100 and H100 chips to China.
An Nvidia spokesperson, John Rizzo, told Reuters that the company cannot track resale of previously sold products, but "circulating small quantities of older, used products does not present anything new or raise any national security concerns." He also noted that using such products for military applications would be ineffective without support, software, or maintenance.
Sunny Cheung, a fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington-based defense policy think tank, explained that the Chinese military has increased its collaboration with contractors claiming to use exclusively domestically-produced hardware, such as Huawei’s AI chips. Cheung analyzed hundreds of tenders issued by the Chinese military’s procurement network over a six-month period this year.
Reliance on DeepSeek
According to the report, the use of DeepSeek models appeared in dozens of tenders submitted by Chinese military agencies. The Jamestown Foundation notes that DeepSeek procurement notices accelerated through 2025, and new military applications appear regularly. The military’s interest in deep learning reflects China’s pursuit of what Beijing calls "algorithmic sovereignty," meaning reducing reliance on Western technology while increasing control over critical digital infrastructure.
"DeepSeek collaborates with us and will likely continue supporting Chinese military and intelligence operations," said a State Department spokesperson in response to Reuters’ questions. He added that Washington "will adopt a bold and comprehensive strategy for U.S. AI technology with trusted foreign countries worldwide, keeping the technology out of our adversaries’ hands."