Chinese AI app DeepSeek outperforms ChatGPT in the US App Store ranking
Kyiv • UNN
AI Assistant app by Chinese startup DeepSeek became the #1 free app in the US App Store. The success was achieved despite the US restrictions on the export of advanced chips to China.

AI Assistant by Chinese startup DeepSeek has become the most popular free app in the US App Store, surpassing ChatGPT. Released on January 10, the app's popularity has grown rapidly among US users.
This is reported by Reuters, UNN.
Details
According to research firm Sensor Tower, an AI-based application powered by the DeepSeek-V3 model, which its creators say “tops the league table among open source models and rivals the most advanced closed source models in the world,” has seen a sharp rise in popularity among US users since its release on January 10.
This breakthrough by the Chinese startup DeepSeek was an important signal for Silicon Valley. The event overturned established views on US dominance in the field of artificial intelligence and called into question the effectiveness of Washington's export controls.
According to media reports, AI models from ChatGPT to DeepSeek require advanced chips for training. Since 2021, the Biden administration has expanded the scope of bans designed to stop the export of these chips to China and their use in training AI models of Chinese firms.
However, according to a DeepSeek article published last month, DeepSeek-V3 used Nvidia H800 chips for training, spending less than $6 million.
However, the fact that a Chinese startup was able to achieve such success with less powerful chips than those that the US was trying to block from being exported to China has left US tech executives thinking. It has called into question the ability of the United States to effectively limit the technological progress of its competitors by controlling the supply of advanced chips.
DeepSeek was the first Chinese AI model to be recognized by the American industry as not only equal to the best American models, but in some respects superior to them. This demonstrates the growing influence of Chinese startups in the global AI market.
Recall
China's artificial intelligence research institutes and universities have purchased batches of Nvidia (NVDA.O) semiconductors, which the US has banned from exporting to China.