Government policies, generous funding and a pipeline of AI graduates have helped Chinese firms create advanced LLMs.

The Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek has rattled markets with claims its latest AI model performs on a par with those of OpenAI, despite using less advanced, more energy efficient computer chips.

As Chinese AI company DeepSeek gains traction in the tech world amid ongoing US-China trade tensions, OpenAI suspects that DeepSeek may have utilized ChatGPT data to develop its own cost-effective AI models.

DeepSeek is a new artificial intelligence chatbot that’s sending shock waves through Wall Street, Silicon Valley and Washington. The app, named after the Chinese start-up that built it, rocketed to the top of Apple’s App Store in the United States over the weekend.

The Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek became the most downloaded free app in the U.S. on Apple’s app store and its low cost claims are putting the pressure on major American tech companies.