A Chinese-made artificial intelligence model called DeepSeek has topped the Apple Store’s downloads, sending shockwaves through the tech industry. The app, released in January, impressed AI experts before catching the attention of the entire tech world. Its low cost and powerful capabilities have raised eyebrows among US companies, including chip-making giant Nvidia, which lost nearly $600 billion in market value. DeepSeek uses fewer advanced chips than industry-leading models like OpenAI, making it a fraction of the cost. The app’s creator, Liang Wenfeng, believes his company can innovate without relying on expensive hardware.
DeepSeek is an AI-powered chatbot that can perform tasks similar to ChatGPT, but with a lower price tag. It has been hit by malicious attacks and outages, but its popularity shows no signs of slowing down. The app’s success has made the Chinese government proud, celebrating its growing technological prowess and self-reliance. However, experts warn that this sentiment may lead to tech isolationism.
The rise of DeepSeek has challenged the conventional wisdom in the AI industry, which often emphasizes the need for expensive hardware to advance technology. This has created uncertainty about the future of high-performance chips and the ability of US companies like Nvidia to maintain a dominant edge in innovation.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yv5976z9po