China's AI Temperature Rising: DeepSeek AI Integrated into Huawei and Alibaba Cloud
The temperature is rising in the world of AI. China is pulling no punches. Tech giants Huawei and Alibaba Cloud are integrating DeepSeek's AI models onto their respective cloud platforms. This is not about new feature additions. It is a strategic play for AI self-sufficiency and competitiveness on the world stage.
DeepSeek AI: Power at an Affordable Level on the Cloud
Huawei Cloud is leading from the front in collaboration with AI startup SiliconFlow to host DeepSeek's state-of-the-art models on its Ascend cloud service. This makes AI more usable and more importantly, affordable. Two models are at the forefront:
- DeepSeek V3 (Language Model): impressively low 1 yuan ($0.13) per million input tokens and 2 yuan ($0.26) per million output tokens.
- DeepSeek R1: A little higher, but still competitive, at 4 yuan ($0.53) per million input tokens and 16 yuan ($2.13) per million output tokens.
These prices are designed to break down barriers. They make advanced AI capabilities available to a much wider range of users and businesses.
Tech Independence: A Geopolitical Strategy
This move is intertwined with the broader Chinese push for technological independence. This is in front of international pressures on chip technology. By deploying DeepSeek models on Huawei Ascend AI hardware, they are reducing dependence on foreign technologies. This is more a question of business. It is consolidating China's AI ecosystem with a strong foothold in the global AI race. That is a sure shot indication of the intent to become a significant player and not just a consumer of AI technology.
Alibaba Joins the AI Wave
Not far behind Huawei, Alibaba Cloud has also jumped into the DeepSeek arena. They are launching DeepSeek AI services on its own platform. Users can now access these models through the PAI Model Gallery. This allows for even easier AI deployment, no coding required. Alibaba Cloud is offering full and "distilled" versions of the DeepSeek R1 model. This gives options to fit different AI application needs.
DeepSeek's Ascent: A Rising AI Star
DeepSeek AI is rapidly gaining traction. This is not just in China, but globally. Tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon are integrating DeepSeek's models into their platforms. While initially trained on Nvidia's H100 GPUs, DeepSeek is now running inference on Huawei’s Ascend 910C chip. Looking ahead, Huawei is developing the Ascend 920C. This aims to rival Nvidia’s next-gen Blackwell B200. This could further boost DeepSeek’s AI prowess.
With such rapid growth in DeepSeek's integration across the major cloud platforms, China signals its ever-rising prominence in the world of AI. Having a blend of affordable models along with progressively high-performance home-brewed hardware, DeepSeek is fast chiseling itself as one key player. It is set to compete with the most powerful forces globally in AI races.
