DeepSeek, a relatively new player in the AI game, was founded in 2023 by
Liang Wenfeng in Hangzhou, China. Equipped with deep knowledge of electronic engineering and substantial backing from his hedge fund, DeepSeek aims to deliver AI solutions at a fraction of competitor costs. The company released its first model, DeepSeek-V3, which trained on
cutting-edge algorithms costing around
$6 million—a stark contrast to the
billions that other companies like OpenAI have poured into their systems.
NPR has also noted that DeepSeek's app has quickly become the top download in the Apple App Store, an achievement not just for a chatbot, but for a company looking to stake its claim in a saturated market.