AI Assistant, an app by Chinese startup DeepSeek, has become the top free app in the US App Store, surpassing ChatGPT. Released on January 10th, the app’s popularity has skyrocketed among US users. This is reported by Reuters and UNN.
Details
According to research firm Sensor Tower, the AI-powered application, built upon the DeepSeek-V3 model – which its creators claim “tops the league table among open-source models and rivals the most advanced closed-source models globally” – has witnessed a sharp surge in popularity among US users since its January 10th launch.
This breakthrough by DeepSeek has sent a significant signal to Silicon Valley. The event has challenged the prevailing notion of US dominance in artificial intelligence and raised questions about the effectiveness of Washington’s export controls.
AI models, from ChatGPT to DeepSeek, typically require advanced chips for training. Since 2021, the Biden administration has expanded restrictions on exporting these chips to China, aiming to hinder their use in training AI models by Chinese companies.
However, according to a DeepSeek article published last month, DeepSeek-V3 was trained using Nvidia H800 chips, with training costs amounting to less than $6 million.
The fact that a Chinese startup achieved such success with less powerful chips than those the US sought to restrict has left US tech executives pondering. It has cast doubt on the US’s ability to effectively limit the technological advancement of its competitors through controlling the supply of advanced chips.
DeepSeek became the first Chinese AI model to be recognized by the American industry as not only on par with but, in some aspects, superior to the best American models. This underscores the growing influence of Chinese startups in the global AI market.
Recall
China’s artificial intelligence research institutes and universities have purchased batches of Nvidia (NVDA.O) semiconductors, which the US has prohibited from exporting to China.
