Huawei Cloud has teamed up with SiliconFlow, an AI startup, to introduce DeepSeek’s AI models to its Ascend cloud service. This collaboration aims to make AI technology more affordable and accessible to users. The two primary models available are DeepSeek V3, which is a language model, and DeepSeek R1, a reasoning model. Both models deliver exceptional performance while keeping costs low.
Affordable AI Access with DeepSeek
Huawei Cloud is offering reduced prices for the DeepSeek AI models via SiliconFlow. The pricing is attractive, with the DeepSeek V3 model priced at just 1 yuan ($0.13) for every million input tokens and 2 yuan ($0.26) for million output tokens. Meanwhile, the DeepSeek R1 model comes in at 4 yuan ($0.53) per million input tokens and 16 yuan ($2.13) for million output tokens. These low prices are helping to make AI technology more reachable for a wider audience.
AI Independence and Geopolitical Impact
The rollout of DeepSeek models by Huawei highlights China’s ambition for self-reliance in AI, especially in light of U.S. limitations on advanced chips. The models operate on Huawei’s Ascend AI hardware, which lessens the reliance on outside technology. This strategy not only fortifies China’s AI landscape but also enhances its position as a formidable player in the global AI arena.
Alibaba joins the DeepSeek AI wave
In the wake of Huawei’s deployment, Alibaba Cloud has also started offering DeepSeek AI services on its own platform. Users can utilize these models via the PAI Model Gallery, which enables them to implement AI applications without needing to write code. Alibaba Cloud provides both complete and distilled versions of the DeepSeek R1 model, allowing for greater adaptability for various AI uses.
DeepSeek’s growth and future prospects
DeepSeek AI is seeing a rise in popularity in both China and the U.S., with major players like Microsoft and Amazon beginning to integrate its models into their services. Although DeepSeek initially trained its AI models using Nvidia’s H100 GPUs, it currently executes inference on Huawei’s Ascend 910C chip. Additionally, Huawei is in the process of developing the Ascend 920C, anticipated to compete with Nvidia’s forthcoming Blackwell B200, which will further enhance DeepSeek’s AI capabilities.
The swift growth of DeepSeek and its integration with prominent cloud services indicate China’s rising impact in the AI domain. With its budget-friendly models and upgraded hardware, DeepSeek is positioning itself as a key contender in the global AI competition.