06:11 AM EST, 01/31/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US officials are investigating whether the Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek made the unauthorized purchase of Nvidia ( NVDA ) chips in Singapore, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

White House officials and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating whether Singapore, the city-state which accounts for 20% of Nvidia ( NVDA ) chip sales, was used to circumvent US restrictions on sales of such chips, the report said.

Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump's nominee as Commerce Secretary, told a Senate committee Wednesday during his confirmation hearing that Nvidia ( NVDA ) chips drive DeepSeek's AI models, the report said.

The FBI, Nvidia ( NVDA ), and DeepSeek did not immediately reply to MT Newswires' requests for comment.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)