DeepSeek's AI Dominates US App Store, Surpassing ChatGPT
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek's AI Assistant has achieved a remarkable feat, becoming the top-rated free app on Apple's US App Store, surpassing its renowned competitor ChatGPT.
Empowered by the DeepSeek-V3 model, which boasts exceptional performance among open-source models and rivals industry-leading closed-source models, the AI app has witnessed a surge in popularity among US users since its launch on January 10.
This milestone underscores DeepSeek's profound impact on Silicon Valley, challenging perceptions of US dominance in AI and the efficacy of US export controls targeting China's advanced chip and AI capabilities.
AI models like ChatGPT and DeepSeek rely heavily on advanced chips for training. The Biden administration has implemented export bans to prevent these chips from reaching China and facilitating the development of Chinese AI models.
However, DeepSeek researchers have claimed that the DeepSeek-V3 model was trained on Nvidia's H800 chips, costing under $6 million. While this claim has faced scrutiny, it raises questions about the effectiveness of US tech export controls, given the accessibility of less powerful chips and relatively low training costs.
Limited information is available about the company behind DeepSeek, a small Hangzhou-based startup established in 2023, following the release of China's first large-language AI model by search engine giant Baidu. Numerous Chinese tech companies have since unveiled their own AI models, but DeepSeek stands out as the first to garner recognition from the US tech industry for matching or exceeding the performance of state-of-the-art US models.