Chinese start-up DeepSeek launches AI model that outperforms rivals
Chinese start-up DeepSeek's release of a new large language model (LLM) has made waves in the global artificial intelligence (AI) industry, as benchmark tests showed that it outperformed rival models from the likes of Meta Platforms and ChatGPT creator OpenAI.
DeepSeek V3: A Game-Changing LLM
The Hangzhou-based company announced in a WeChat post that its namesake LLM, DeepSeek V3, comes with 671 billion parameters and was trained in around two months at a cost of US$5.58 million. This impressive feat was achieved using significantly fewer computing resources than models developed by bigger tech firms.
LLM technology, which powers generative AI services like ChatGPT, relies on a high number of parameters to adapt to complex data patterns and make accurate predictions.
Technical Breakthroughs and Achievements
DeepSeek's development of a powerful LLM at a fraction of the cost invested by larger companies showcases the progress of Chinese AI firms, despite facing challenges such as US sanctions limiting access to advanced semiconductors required for training models.
Utilizing a new architecture tailored for cost-effective training, DeepSeek's V3 model required only 2.78 million GPU hours, a stark contrast to Meta's Llama 3.1 model, which needed 30.8 million GPU hours. DeepSeek's training process leveraged Nvidia's China-tailored H800 GPUs.
Validation from Industry Experts
Computer scientist Andrej Karpathy, a founding team member of OpenAI, praised DeepSeek's achievement on social media platform X, highlighting the efficiency and strength of DeepSeek V3 compared to industry counterparts.
The technical report on V3 showcased its superiority over models from Meta and Alibaba Group Holding in various benchmark tests, aligning its performance with top AI models like OpenAI's GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 Sonnet from Amazon.com-backed Anthropic.
DeepSeek's commitment to AI innovation and cost-effective solutions reflects its vision to create AI for the betterment of humanity, setting a benchmark for the industry.
