How Chinese A.I. Start-Up DeepSeek Is Competing With OpenAI and Google

The company built a cheaper, competitive chatbot with fewer high-end computer chips than U.S. behemoths like Google and OpenAI, showing the limits of chip export control.

Read more at The New York Times

Save story

Topics

Related

Advances by China’s DeepSeek sow doubts about AI spending

Start-up’s model raises questions about need for huge western hardware investment
Financial Times - 16m
Nvidia, Microsoft shares tumble amid rise of China-based AI DeepSeek

DeepSeek chatbot tops Apple's app-store charts.
ABC News - 1h
New Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek sparks market turmoil for tech rivals

Share prices in US and European firms fall as the Chinese technology threatens to disrupt the AI industry.
BBC News - 1h
DeepSeek changes rules of AI’s great game

Chinese start-up’s breakthrough may be bad news for US tech giants but could be a windfall for everyone else
Financial Times - 1h
Tech stocks drop amid rise of China's DeepSeek AI model

Shares in major technology companies leading the artificial intelligence (AI) race took a tumble Monday morning amid investor concern about a new Chinese AI model with growing popularity. Nvidia, ...
The Hill - 1h
What is DeepSeek, the AI model taking the internet by storm?

Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek is stirring up anxiety in Silicon Valley after launching a new AI model that appears to rival leading AI ventures in the U.S. for a fraction of ...
The Hill - 1h
Global tech shares fall as China AI chatbot DeepSeek spooks investors

Chinese startup’s $6m product raises doubts about sustainability of western artificial intelligence boom. Investors punished global tech stocks on Monday after the emergence of a Chinese chatbot ...
The Guardian - 3h
Reid Hoffman Raises $24.6 Million for AI Cancer-Research Startup

The LinkedIn co-founder is starting Manas AI with “The Emperor of All Maladies” author Siddhartha Mukherjee.
The Wall Street Journal - 3h
DeepSeek R1’s bold bet on reinforcement learning: How it outpaced OpenAI at 3% of the cost

DeepSeek R1’s Monday release has sent shockwaves through the AI community, disrupting assumptions about what’s required to achieve cutting-edge AI performance. This story focuses on exactly how ...
VentureBeat - 1d
How Chinese AI Startup DeepSeek Made a Model that Rivals OpenAI

When Chinese quant hedge fund founder Liang Wenfeng went into AI research, he took 10,000 Nvidia chips and assembled a team of young, ambitious talent. Two years later, DeepSeek exploded on the scene.
Wired - 2d
Y Combinator’s hottest startup, Origami Agents, secures $2M seed round to supercharge sales teams with AI

Y Combinator's fastest-growing startup Origami Agents raised $2M to build AI research tools that help sales teams find perfect customers.
VentureBeat - 2d
How small Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek shocked Silicon Valley

Hedge fund billionaire Liang Wenfeng builds model on tight budget despite US attempt to halt China’s high-tech ambitions
Financial Times - 2d
How China’s new AI model DeepSeek is threatening U.S. dominance

An AI lab out of China has ignited panic in Silicon Valley after releasing impressive AI models more cheaply and with less-powerful chips than U.S. AI giants.
CNBC - 3d
Why everyone in AI is freaking out about DeepSeek

DeepSeek has a free website and mobile app even for U.S. users with an R1-powered chatbot interface similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT.
VentureBeat - 3d
OpenAI Launches Operator, Its First AI Agent

Operator can search the web, move a cursor, click on webpages, and generally do much of what a human can do.
Inc. - 3d
Here's what to know about Trump's Stargate AI deal with OpenAI

The $500 billion Stargate project is projected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. Here's what's known so far.
CBS News - 4d
Google releases free Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking model, pressuring OpenAI’s premium strategy

Google challenges OpenAI with free Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking model, offering million-token processing, native code execution, and breakthrough performance in math and science benchmarks.
VentureBeat - 4d
Google Steps Up AI Race With Fresh $1 Billion Investment in OpenAI Rival Anthropic

The AI contender to the apparent market leader finished a $2 million funding round and now has a $60 billion valuation.
Inc. - 4d
Google invests further $1bn in OpenAI rival Anthropic

Artificial intelligence group closes in on $60bn valuation
Financial Times - 5d
SoftBank and OpenAI back sweeping AI infrastructure project in US

Donald Trump calls $100bn initiative a ‘declaration of confidence in America’
Financial Times - 5d
Trump announces AI infrastructure investment backed by Oracle, OpenAI and Softbank

President Donald Trump announced a venture with OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank to invest billions of dollars in U.S. AI infrastructure.
CNBC - 5d
Trump unveils $500bn joint AI venture between OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank

Dubbed Stargate, it aims to construct data centers and infrastructure needed to power AI development. Donald Trump has unveiled what he called “the largest AI infrastructure project in history” – a ...
The Guardian - 5d
Perplexity launches Sonar API, taking aim at Google and OpenAI with real-time AI search

Perplexity's Sonar is a real-time AI search API challenging Google and OpenAI with disruptive pricing and superior performance.
VentureBeat - 5d
AI-developed drug will be in trials by year-end, says Google’s Hassabis

Founder of Isomorphic Labs aims to develop a drug in oncology, cardiovascular or neurodegeneration areas
Financial Times - 5d
Trump to announce AI infrastructure investment backed by Oracle, OpenAI and Softbank

President Donald Trump will announce a joint venture Tuesday with OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank to invest billions of dollars in AI infrastructure in the United States.
NBC News - 5d
X Games will test AI from Google Cloud for judging snowboarding competitions

Making its debut in Aspen, X Games will leverage AI technology from Google Cloud to enhance objectivity in subjectively judged sports. The aim is to deepen fan engagement, and provide valuable ...
VentureBeat - 6d
Open-source DeepSeek-R1 uses pure reinforcement learning to match OpenAI o1 — at 95% less cost

The company developed DeepSeek-R1 by using pure reinforcement learning on top of DeepSeek-V3-Base, and matched or beat o1 on some benchmarks.
VentureBeat - 6d
How to Use Parental Controls in Your Google, Apple, and Microsoft Accounts

The three biggest tech companies all offer a wealth of options to limit screen time, find lost devices, and more.
Wired - Jan. 20
OpenAI’s Ex-CTO Raids Rivals for Top Team at Her Startup

Mira Murati’s still unnamed AI startup’s goal remains a mystery, but she clearly has a plan—starting with gathering a pool of industry experts.
Inc. - Jan. 17
Mira Murati’s AI Startup Makes First Hires, Including Former OpenAI Executive

It’s a major get for Murati’s mysterious startup, which has also poached engineers and researchers from a number of other prominent AI firms.
Wired - Jan. 17
OpenAI Details How It Would Like AI to Be Regulated

The resulting regulation—or lack thereof—could have repercussions for businesses working on artificial intelligence.
Inc. - Jan. 14
Google’s Gemini AI just shattered the rules of visual processing — here’s what that means for you

Google's Gemini AI achieves a milestone with simultaneous video and image processing, unlocking possibilities through AnyChat.
VentureBeat - Jan. 14
Google Joins the AI Shopping Revolution With Agent Tools for Retailers

The next stage of AI development, which lets the technology act with more autonomy and performs some customer service actions, is being applied to an industry that must constantly embrace change.
Inc. - Jan. 13
How Delivery Startup DroneUp May Survive the Loss of Walmart’s Business

After the retailing giant consolidates its aerial deliveries with two bigger specialists, DroneUp will need to pivot to working with smaller, local customers.
Inc. - Jan. 10
AI Startup Anthropic Plans to Raise $2 Billion at a $60 Billion Valuation

The new funding round, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, sees the company at more than triple its 2024 valuation of $18 million.
Inc. - Jan. 8
AI Startup Anthropic Raising Funds Valuing It at $60 Billion

The Amazon-backed OpenAI rival was valued at $18 billion last year.
The Wall Street Journal - Jan. 7
British AI startup with government ties is developing tech for military drones

Exclusive: Concerns raised over role of Faculty AI, which has worked with NHS and government safety body. A company that has worked closely with the UK government on artificial intelligence safety, ...
The Guardian - Jan. 7
Google maps the future of AI agents: Five lessons for businesses

Google's groundbreaking white paper reveals how AI agents leverage advanced reasoning, real-time data access and autonomous decision-making.
VentureBeat - Jan. 6
Chinese robot vacuum cleaner company reveals model with an AI-powered arm

Chinese robot vacuum cleaner company Roborock says its new model has an artificial intelligence-powered folding arm for removing socks and other obstacles.
CNBC - Jan. 5

More from The New York Times

How the New York Times Website Got Its URL

The Times wanted to go online in 1996 with nytimes.com. But the domain was already owned — by a Times reporter.
The New York Times - 2d
Tom Green, Former Provocateur, Is Building Something New

A Y2K-era phenomenon most famous for his MTV prank show and surreal brand of comedy, Green pioneered ideas that thrive today.
The New York Times - 2d
The 2024 Good Tech Awards

In a year of continued A.I. progress, “founder mode” drama and a Trump election win, a few tech projects stood out for their clear benefits to humanity.
The New York Times - Dec. 31
Social Media Companies Face Global Tug-of-War Over Free Speech

President-elect Donald J. Trump’s picks for the F.C.C. and F.T.C. have vowed to remove censorship online. That conflicts with European regulators who are pushing for stricter moderation.
The New York Times - Dec. 30
Elon Musk Casts Doubt on Trump’s $100 Billion Stargate A.I. Announcement

Mr. Trump had claimed the A.I. announcement as an early trophy, taking credit for the companies’ decision to spend up to $500 billion building data centers.
The New York Times - 4d

More in Tech

What to Know About China's DeepSeek AI

The Chinese upstart says it has trained high-performing AI models cheaply, without using the most advanced chips.
The Wall Street Journal - 14m
8 Best Deals on Valentine’s Day Gifts (2025)

We found good deals on utterly giftable WIRED-approved gadgets.
Wired - 39m
Hogwarts Legacy Gets Official PC Mod Support This Week

Nearly two years after its initial release, Hogwarts Legacy is getting official mod tools on PC. Avalanche Software has announced that the proverbial door is being opened for Hogwarts Legacy ...
GameSpot - 40m
Final Fantasy Creator Wants To Make Spiritual Successor To The Most Beloved Game In The Series

After the recent release of Fantasian: Neo Dimension on PC and consoles, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi is currently working on another game as part of his farewell tour, one that he ...
GameSpot - 45m
Ubisoft Closes Studio, Eliminating 185 Jobs In Latest Round Of Cuts

The challenging times at Ubisoft continue, as the French gaming company has announced it is closing one studio and downsizing others in the firm's latest round of cost-cutting that will see about ...
GameSpot - 47m