Chinese startup DeepSeek’s AI assistant has become the top-rated free app on Apple’s US. App Store, overtaking OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Powered by the DeepSeek-V3 model, the app’s rapid rise in popularity since its January 10 release has drawn attention across the tech industry.
DeepSeek’s creators claim their model “tops the leaderboard among open-source models and rivals the most advanced closed-source models globally.” According to app analytics firm Sensor Tower, its swift success has surprised Silicon Valley, challenging assumptions about US dominance in artificial intelligence and questioning the impact of Washington’s export controls on China’s AI and chip advancements.
AI models like DeepSeek-V3 and ChatGPT rely on high-performance chips for training. Despite US bans on exporting cutting-edge chips to China, DeepSeek researchers recently disclosed that their model was trained using Nvidia’s H800 chips, reportedly costing under $6 million. While the accuracy of these claims is disputed, the company’s efficient training process has raised questions about the effectiveness of export restrictions designed to limit China’s AI progress.
DeepSeek, founded in 2023 and based in Hangzhou, is one of many Chinese startups releasing AI models since Baidu introduced China’s first large-language model. However, DeepSeek is the first Chinese AI model to gain widespread acclaim in the US tech industry, with some experts suggesting it rivals or surpasses cutting-edge American models.
The app’s success underscores China’s growing presence in the AI sector and signals a potential shift in the global AI landscape.
Melissa Enoch
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