Union Minister of Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, announced on Thursday that DeepSeek, the popular Chinese open-source Artificial Intelligence model, will soon be hosted on Indian servers to address growing privacy concerns. The move comes as experts raise alarms about DeepSeek’s data security policies and potential information transfers to China.
According to DeepSeek’s policy document, “When you use our services, we may collect your text or audio inputs, prompt, uploaded files, feedback, chat history, or other content that you provide to our model and services. We store the information we collect in secure servers located in the People’s Republic of China.”
Growing Concerns Over DeepSeek’s Security
Security analysts and AI experts have expressed concerns over DeepSeek’s data storage practices, with fears that user data could be accessed by Chinese authorities. The situation escalated when OpenAI, the US-based firm behind ChatGPT, accused DeepSeek of stealing its intellectual property to enhance its own AI models.
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Addressing these concerns, Vaishnaw reiterated India’s commitment to AI sovereignty and privacy. “India will create its own foundational model in the coming months,” he stated, highlighting the country’s AI ambitions.
India’s AI Expansion and Investment Plans
As part of its broader AI push, the Indian government has empaneled 18,693 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) under a common computing facility, ensuring affordable and accessible AI infrastructure.
“Making modern tech accessible to everyone, that is the economic thinking of our Prime Minister. Ours is the most affordable compute facility at this point of time,” Vaishnaw said, underlining India’s commitment to AI democratization.
India’s AI mission, announced in March with a funding of over ₹10,300 crore, aims to support AI startups, bolster AI research, and develop the country’s AI infrastructure. A key component of this initiative includes the establishment of an AI safety institution to regulate and monitor AI advancements.
DeepSeek’s Rapid Rise in AI Space
Developed by a Chinese startup, DeepSeek AI has gained significant traction in the AI landscape. Known as DeepSeek R1, the model has been praised for its efficiency in complex reasoning tasks. Recently, downloads of its app surpassed OpenAI’s ChatGPT on Apple’s App Store, further cementing its growing influence.
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However, concerns over data privacy and AI ethics have fueled discussions on India’s strategic approach to AI governance.
India’s Response to AI Competition
Vaishnaw’s remarks also seemed to reflect the skepticism expressed by OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman during his visit to India last year, where he questioned whether an Indian team could develop a globally competitive AI model.
“Some people question the amount of investment the government has committed to the IndiaAI mission. You have seen what DeepSeek has done? $5.5 million and a very, very powerful model. Because of the use of the brain,” Vaishnaw said at an event in Odisha on Tuesday.
With the Indian government aggressively pushing AI development, hosting DeepSeek on Indian servers is seen as an immediate step toward ensuring AI security while the country builds its own foundational AI models.
