Deep Dive into DeepSeek's Popularity Surge During the Spring Festival

On January 20, 2025, DeepSeek officially unveiled its latest R1 model.

DeepSeek (Chinese name: DepthQuest) is an AI model created by Hangzhou DepthQuest AI Basic Technology Research Co., Ltd. The name 'DeepSeek' combines 'Deep Thinking' and 'Seeking,' suggesting an exploration of unknown realms through advanced learning technologies.

Upon its release, DeepSeek was found to be on par with OpenAI's GPT-4 model. It boasts robust capabilities, high adaptability, open-source flexibility, customization options, and minimal usage costs.

DeepSeek swiftly soared to the top of download charts in app stores across 140 global markets, outpacing well-known products like ChatGPT on the free charts of the Apple App Store in both China and the US.

Globally, DeepSeek has garnered immense popularity. During the Spring Festival, dinner table conversations buzzed with discussions about this remarkable product – 'DeepSeek made Americans kneel,' 'DeepSeek dismantles OpenAI, bypassing US chip restrictions,' 'The US's 'small yard, high wall' sanction strategy has failed,' 'VCs collectively overlooked DeepSeek'...

The US Confronts a Modern 'Sputnik Moment'

No developer can resist a technological solution that slashes costs by multiples. DeepSeek continues to witness massive downloads and usage worldwide.

Moreover, since R1 is fully open-source, developers and researchers globally can freely access and tweak the code. From individual developers to research teams from various universities and companies, everyone is exploring new possibilities based on DeepSeek's latest model.

DeepSeek significantly reduced the reliance on graphics cards and computational power during training and disclosed in its paper that it did not utilize NVIDIA's most powerful hardware. On January 27, the US stock market opened with steep losses, particularly in tech stocks. NVIDIA's share price plunged 16.86% on that day, erasing approximately $590 billion in market value in a single day, marking the largest single-day market value decline in US stock market history.

From former US President Donald Trump to Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, Sam Altman, and scientists across fields, they all weighed in. For a time, the level of attention was unparalleled.

Analysts highlight that DeepSeek's latest advancements are a pivotal factor disrupting the market. Its emergence has shattered the long-standing US monopoly in AI, sounding the alarm in the US tech community.

When covering DeepSeek, US media frequently invoked the term 'Sputnik Moment'.

In 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched the world's first artificial satellite, 'Sputnik 1,' which profoundly impacted the US, prompting the nation to accelerate its efforts and initiate the 'Apollo Moon Landing Program.'

Today, Americans compare DeepSeek's breakthrough to the 'Sputnik Moment,' both recognizing DeepSeek's technical prowess and signaling that the AI rivalry between China and the US has only just commenced.

Introducing the 'Most Radical Legislation' Targeting Chinese AI

US Senator Josh Hawley recently proposed a bill titled the 'Decoupling America’s Artificial Intelligence Capabilities from China Act'.

The bill's core aim is to prohibit US citizens and companies from importing or using any AI technology and intellectual property related to China, and to criminalize the download and use of Chinese AI models (such as DeepSeek).

According to the bill, any individual or company that 'knowingly' imports AI capabilities or generative AI technology developed in China faces up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1 million for individuals, and a maximum fine of $100 million for companies.

The US senator asserted that 'the release of DeepSeek was the direct catalyst for proposing this bill.' 'DeepSeek is a 'low-cost, data-collecting AI model' whose rise has not only raised international concerns but also caused a steep decline in US tech stocks.

The bill has sparked widespread attention and debate. Critics argue that the legislators' motives are not solely based on national security or technological competition. Rather, the bill may be more about resisting China's technological advancement than addressing genuine security issues.

However, perhaps due to the extreme nature of its contents, the bill has been 'temporarily shelved.' And 'temporarily shelved' often signifies that the proposal has lost much of its momentum and support in moving forward.