6 things you should know about DeepSeek

DeepSeek, founded in 2023, is a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company that specializes in developing open-source large language models (LLMs).

The company is relatively new to the scene, but has already made waves with its approach to AI development.

The company has attracted attention after releasing a paper saying that the training of DeepSeek-V3 required less than $6 million worth of computing power from Nvidia H800 chips, according to a report.

The report also said DeepSeek’s AI Assistant, powered by DeepSeek-V3, has surpassed ChatGPT to become the top-rated free application available on Apple’s App Store in the US.

Here are 6 things you should know about DeepSeek:

The founder. The company was founded by Lian Wenfeng, a Chinese entrepreneur who also co-founded a hedge fund company.

Open-source AI: DeepSeek says it focuses on creating open-source AI models, making these models freely available for anyone to use and build upon.

This approach is said to foster collaboration and accelerate innovation within the AI community, contrasting with the closed approach of some larger companies.

Rise of a reasoning model: DeepSeek recently launched a groundbreaking reasoning model called R1. This model excels in complex reasoning tasks like mathematics, coding, and problem-solving, often surpassing the performance of other leading AI models.

Costs and performance: Many observers say R1 achieves its high performance while operating at a fraction of the cost compared to models from companies like OpenAI.

This is reportedly due to DeepSeek’s use of efficient training techniques and possibly the use of less advanced hardware.

Challenging the status quo: DeepSeek’s R1 model has caused ripples in the AI industry, even triggering a sell-off in AI-related stocks in the US tech market.

Reports said its open-source nature and cost-effectiveness challenge the dominance of established players and raise questions about the future of AI development.

Potential impacts: DeepSeek’s approach could democratize access to advanced AI, leading to a surge in specialized AI applications.

By making AI models more accessible and affordable, DeepSeek may be contributing to a new wave of AI innovation.

DeepSeek is a relatively new player in the AI field, and the long-term impact of its models remains to be seen. However, its focus on open-source and cost-effective AI development has the potential to significantly shape the future of the industry.

READ ALSO: Philippine businesses accelerate GenAI adoption-IDC

READ MORE AI NEWS.