DeepSeek’s R1 is shaking up the AI landscape. Launched on January 20, this advanced reasoning model claims performance on par with OpenAI’s o1 — at just 2% of the cost. Unlike other frontier models reliant on high-end chips and massive datasets, R1 is optimized for older hardware and leverages novel reinforcement learning techniques, allegedly slashing training costs to $6 million.

Beyond efficiency, R1’s open-source MIT license makes it freely accessible, allowing companies to integrate or customize it freely. This raises a pivotal question: Will AI companies embrace DeepSeek, or will stalwarts like OpenAI and Anthropic remain the industry’s default choices? READ MORE