DeepSeek's AI dominance in China challenged by Alibaba's Qwen and rising rivals
Advertisement
DeepSeek, which commanded over 99 per cent of open-source AI model usage on Chinese cloud computing platform PPIO in the first quarter, saw its share decline to about 80 per cent in June, according to data released by the service provider late last week.
Meanwhile, the Qwen models from
Alibaba Group Holding , owner of the Post, had gained significant traction, PPIO said. At its peak in late May, use of Qwen models on the platform surpassed that of DeepSeek products, reaching 56 per cent.
In January, PPIO became one of the first cloud computing platforms to offer DeepSeek's V3 and R1 models to third-party clients, driving a surge in AI adoption in China. On July 12, PPIO added Kimi-K2-Instruct, an open-source model developed by Alibaba-backed start-up MoonShot AI, which is
drawing rapid uptake worldwide
China's AI competition remains intense: the country now boasts over 1,500 AI models, with many start-ups striving to enhance the efficiency and user-friendliness of their open-source offerings. In contrast, DeepSeek has remained silent about its highly anticipated next-generation models.
Advertisement
'Since May, DeepSeek's share [on our platform] has decreased because of the influx of excellent models that has provided users with more choices,' PPIO said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Labubu's soft power, Trump eyes autumn China trip: 7 US-China relations reads
We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing 1. Trump eyes autumn China trip, but September visit off the table: sources Photo: AFP US President Donald Trump is keen to visit China but a September visit is not happening, according to sources, who said Beijing and Washington were working to secure a trip in October or November. Hurdles remain, but high-level officials 'share a consensus', sources familiar with the matter told the South China Morning Post. Read the full story here 2. Trump says Beijing making 'big steps' in controlling fentanyl Photo: AP US President Donald Trump said in July that Beijing is 'making big steps' in efforts to control the flow of fentanyl, an issue that the American leader has used to justify tariffs that he has slapped on imports from China. 'I think China has been helping out,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Read the full story here 3. Has Apple been trapped by China? Not so fast, analysts say Photo: Shutterstock A new book contending that Apple went too far in consolidating its operations in China is prompting debate among analysts of the country – some of whom say the company may have had no realistic alternatives. 'If they were to have it to do over again, would they have done anything differently?' asked Meg Rithmire, a Harvard Business School professor.
South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
‘How can we trust you?': China's state media calls on Nvidia to prove safety of H20 chip
The article, entitled 'How can we trust you, Nvidia', called on the US company to 'comply with requests and provide convincing proof of security' to help regain the trust of its Chinese customers. 'Guarding network security is as important as protecting national territory,' the article said, adding that China should never use 'sick chips'. The People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party , cited examples of how cyberattacks and satellite network glitches have weighed down public services in Russia , including disruption of services at airlines and pharmacies. 'Nvidia does not have 'back doors' in our chips that would give anyone a remote way to access or control them,' an Nvidia representative wrote in an email to the South China Morning Post on Thursday night. Chinese state media's attention showed a pressure-cooker-like situation for Nvidia amid its efforts to remain a major supplier of AI chips to China, while abiding by the trade restrictions imposed by the US government on the mainland.
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China rebukes protectionism after Trump's new tariff barrage, warns it will harm everyone
In the wake of US President Donald Trump's latest tariff blitz on dozens of economies, China has reiterated a stern warning against protectionism amid growing concern that it will 'harm the interests of all parties'. 'China's position against the arbitrary imposition of tariffs has been consistent and clear: there are no winners in tariff or trade wars,' Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press conference on Friday. Beijing's latest admonishment came after Trump, by executive order, imposed widespread tariffs targeting 69 trading partners, ranging from 10 to 41 per cent – including a 35 per cent duty on many goods from Canada and 39 per cent on Switzerland. Most of the tariffs are due to take effect over the next seven days. Meanwhile, most Asian economies will face a levy of 15 to 20 per cent, compared with the 20-40 per cent tariff range threatened in July. But exceptions include India at 25 per cent, and Laos and Myanmar at 40 per cent each. Taiwan will face a 20 per cent tariff. One analyst said the latest tariff rates came as a relief to smaller economies such as Cambodia and Bangladesh, which had faced threats of 36 and 35 per cent tariffs from Trump in July. Now, their adjusted tariffs are 19 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively. 'The new rates preclude the worst but are cold comfort,' said Alex Holmes, regional director of Asia at the Economist Intelligence Unit. 'They represent a big rise in trade barriers and leave plenty of questions unanswered.
