Huawei, SiliconFlow Partners to Make AI More Accessible in China

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Huawei has lately collaborated with Beijing-based AI startup SiliconFlow to bring advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models of DeepSeek to end users in China.

The cloud computing division of Huawei worked tirelessly to make V3 and R1 versions of DeepSeek available through its Ascend cloud service. The goal was to provide users with AI performance that can be comparable to models running on premium global graphic processing units (GPUs) and at a more affordable cost. The pricing for accessing such AI models has been significantly reduced to cater to a broader audience equipped with fees starting at just 1 yuan (approximately $0.13) for 1 million input tokens for the V3 model and 2 yuan for 1 million output tokens.

The affordability of DeepSeek models on Huawei’s platform represents a growing trend in China to democratize AI access while also positioning the country as a serious competitor to the leading US-based AI providers. Both the models are gaining attention globally and OpenAI investor Microsoft very recently expanded support for the R1 model on its Azure cloud service and GitHub to allow developers to build AI applications that can run locally on personal computers like the Copilot+ systems. E-commerce giant Amazon has also enabled the use of R1 via Amazon Web Services and offering developers a powerful as well as cost-efficient option for their applications.

The Huawei Ascend cloud service uses its in-house technology including self-developed server clusters, AI modules and accelerator cards to power the DeepSeek models. Details about the specific chips used remain unclear and the move highlights ambition of the company to lead the AI revolution in China as well as beyond.

The efforts of Huawei to support the DeepSeek models are commendable and come amid ongoing tensions between China and the US over technology dominance.

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