Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek has taken the tech world by storm with the release of its flagship model, R1, just a week ago.
The AI app topped the Apple App Store’s free apps chart, as reported by MSN.
On January 20, the model was publicly released by hedge fund manager and renowned figure in the Chinese tech world, Liang Wenfeng.
DeepSeek was founded in May 2023 and operates independently but is entirely funded by High-Flyer, which is also supervised by Wenfeng.
The company’s hiring policies emphasize skills over work experience, leading to the company being run by top graduates from Chinese universities who bring a fresh perspective on AI, with a thorough understanding of Chinese culture and language.
R1 has garnered attention from the AI community and Silicon Valley, with its cost efficiency and technology potentially surpassing some of its U.S. counterparts, including OpenAI, Meta, and Google.
Notably, the U.S. market has spent billions to acquire high-level chips and data to develop models that solve complex problems. However, DeepSeek engineers are building their models using relatively cheaper Nvidia chips and less capital.
Additionally, following President Donald Trump’s inauguration, OpenAI is set to receive $500 billion in federal funds for AI infrastructure over the next four years.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT currently sits at number two on the same Apple chart, while DeepSeek is making its mark in the U.S. tech market.
