It’s Not Just DeepSeek. A Guide to the Chinese AI Companies You Need to Know. When DeepSeek jolted the global tech world with its low-cost model, it also threw the spotlight on China’s booming AI market, a sector that the Chinese government has identified as a national priority.

The Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek became the most downloaded free app in the U.S. on Apple’s app store and its low cost claims are putting the pressure on major American tech companies.

A Chinese AI startup is gaining popularity, amassing tons of downloads shortly after the app’s debut. DeepSeek’s flagship model is free, but the organization charges users who connect their own applications to DeepSeek’s model and computing framework,