Is DeepSeek a proof of concept?

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29. January 2025. • 12:13 et

Is Deepseek proof of the concept?

Per
Jessie Yin

On Monday is the application of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI), Deepseeksurpassed chatgpt in download and ranked number one In the iPhone stores in Australia, Canada, China, Singapore, the United States and the United Kingdom. He inflicted a heavy blow to the supplies of American chip manufacturers and other companies relating to AI development. Deepseek claims He achieved a chatbot model that rival leaders of AI, such as Openi Meta, with a fraction of financing and without full approach to advanced semiconductor chips from the United States.

Deepseek represents the efforts of China to build domestic scientific and technological abilities and innovate beyond that. Its advanced phase further exacerbates the anxiety that China can surpass the United States in top technologies and surprised many analysts who believed that China was far behind the United States on AI. Intended export controls on advanced semiconductor chips in China slow Chinese ability to indigenize the production of advanced technologies, and Deepsek is asked if that is enough. Technical competition in the United States lies at the intersection of markets and national security, and understanding that Deepseek came out of the Chinese landscape of Innovation in Chinese can better equip US policy creators in order to deal with Chinese ambitions for global technological leadership.

Homegrown: Chinese innovation ecosystem

In the past decade, she has implemented the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) a series of action plans and politics Encourage domestic abilities, reduce foreign technology addiction and promote Chinese technology abroad through investments and setting international standards. 2023. President XI Jinping summarized the highlight of these economic policies in the call “New quality productive forces. “2024, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published a list in”future industry“Being target. These slogans talk about a displacement of mission from building domestic capacity and resistance to acceleration of innovations.

From the implementation of an industrial action plan ”Made in China 2025“In 2015, China constantly increases its costs in research and development (research and development). From 2016 to 2024. Research and development expenditures expanded by 126 percent.

According to the statistics published last week by the National Statistics Office, Chinese expenditures for research and development 2024. They reached $ 496 billion. However, China continues to be lagging behind other countries regarding the intensity of research and development – the amount of expenditure for research and development as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).

Compared to other countries in this chart, exploration and development expenses in China remain mostly guided by the state. Rodium group It has been estimated that about 60 percent of the spending and development in China in 2020 came from state grands, financing outside the budget or tax incentives for research and development. For a reference, in the United States, the federal government only fundes 18 percent Research and Development 2022. It is a common perception that the Chinese style of innovation ecosystem under the guidance of the Government and the regulated innovation is unable to compete with the technological industry led by the private sector. However, companies like Deepseek, Huawei or Byd causes this idea.

China was often charged with direct copying American technology, but Deepseek may be exempted from this trend. While Deepseek was dressed on Nvidia H800 chips, the application could be Running of the conclusion On the new Chinese Ascend 910C chips made by Huawei. In addition, Deepseek primarily hires Researchers and developers from top Chinese universities. This is a change from historical patterns In the Chinese industry of research and development, which depended on Chinese scientists who have abroad to acquire education and training, mainly in the United States. Deepseek is also different from Huawei and byd in that it has not received great, direct benefits from the Government. Instead, it seems to have benefited from the overall growing of an innovation ecosystem and National Support System For advanced technologies.

Chinese development of science and technology is largely funded by the state, which reflects how much the innovation of high technology is at the core of Chinese national security, economic security and long -term global ambitions. Deepseek has been able to use the increased flow of AS Financing Financing, efforts over the years to build Chinese university STEM programs and commercialization of new technologies.

While some leaders AI have doubted the truth From the financing or number of NVIDIA chips used, Deepseek has created shock waves on a stock market that indicates larger facilities in US-kine technological competition. Chinese companies are already competing with the United States in other technologies. In 2015, the government called electric vehicles, 5g and AI as targeted development technology, hoping that Chinese companies would be able to jump to the front of these fields. Now, 2025, whether it is EVS or 5G, competition with China is a reality.

United States, China and Global Technical Competition

Some AI observers called Deepsek as “Sputnik“The moment, although it is too early to say whether Deepsek is a real player in the AI ​​industry or China can appear as a real innovation leader. As for Chatbot applications, Deepseek seems to be able to monitor Chatgpt Openi with a bit of cost. But Deepseek’s low budget could prevent his ability to increase or follow the type of highly advanced Ai software on which American start -ups work. around the role of China in the global order and its growing influence.

Unlike the universe race, the Cyberspace race will be played in markets, and it is important that US policy creators are better contextualized by the Chinese innovation ecosystem within the Ambition and CCP strategy for global technological leadership. CCP seeks to keep Chinese companies at the forefront of technological innovations that will encourage future productivity – green technology, 5g, AI. And Chinese companies are already promotes its technologies Through the initiative of the belt and road and investment in markets that often overlook private western investors.

While the United States and the European Union set up trade obstacles and protection against Chinese EV and telecommunications companies, Deepseek may have proven that it is not easy enough to reduce Chinese approach to materials or markets. It is uncertain to what extent Deepseek will be able to maintain that primacy in the AI ​​industry, which is rapidly developing. However, this should cause the United States to pay attention to how Chinese science and technology policies generate results, which would seem unattainable ten years ago. Deepseek indicates that Chinese science and technology policies may seem better than we have given them merit. For American creators, politics should be an invitation to wake up that there must be a better understanding of changes in the Chinese innovation environment and that it encourages their national strategy.

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Jessie Yin is the assistant director at the Atlantic Council of the GeeConomics Center.

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