DeepSeek has become the most downloaded free app on Apple’s iPhone. IBTimes US
Chinese startup DeepSeek’s AI Assistant surged to the top of the free app rankings on Apple’s App Store in the United States on Monday, surpassing ChatGPT in just 17 days since its release.
Developed by Hangzhou-based DeepSeek, the AI platform was launched in the U.S. on Jan. 10 and was powered by the DeepSeek-V3 model, Reuters reported.
DeepSeek has become the most downloaded free app on Apple’s iPhone.
Founded in May 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, DeepSeek has rapidly gained attention for its powerful AI capabilities.
The rapid success of DeepSeek has particularly piqued interest due to two main factors: cost-effectiveness and the ability to operate on lower-capability chips, which contrasts with the high resource demands of many leading AI systems.
Silicon Valley reacts
The company’s AI model, DeepSeek-V3, was described as a competitor to the most advanced open-source and closed-source models globally. Its performance has sparked discussions in Silicon Valley, raising questions about the U.S.’s position in the artificial intelligence race.
DeepSeek’s model has been hailed for achieving impressive results at a fraction of the cost of U.S. AI models. This development has sent ripples across Asia’s tech supply chain, with shares in related companies reacting strongly.
Meanwhile, Japanese chip stocks declined, coinciding with a 1.62% drop in Nasdaq futures during Asia’s trading session.
“Japan’s chip stocks are selling off sharply on the DeepSeek concerns and we are seeing a rotation out of growth names into value,” Andrew Jackson, head of equity strategy at ORTUS Advisors told CNBC.
Experts note that while AI models like ChatGPT typically require advanced chips for training, DeepSeek managed to train its model using Nvidia’s H800 chips, costing under $6 million — a fraction of the price associated with more advanced U.S. chips.
Although this claim has been disputed, it has ignited discussions about the effectiveness of U.S. export controls aimed at limiting China’s access to cutting-edge chips for AI development.
