Microsoft announced on Wednesday that it has made DeepSeek’s R1 artificial intelligence model available on its Azure cloud platform and GitHub, expanding its AI offerings. The model will be added to the model catalog, joining over 1,800 other AI models offered by Microsoft, and will be accessible to developers using these platforms.
This move comes just days after DeepSeek launched a free AI assistant that promises to use significantly less data and cost much less than existing services, leading to a surge in downloads. By Monday, the assistant had overtaken OpenAI’s ChatGPT in downloads on Apple’s App Store, causing concern among tech investors.
Microsoft’s adoption of DeepSeek’s R1 model is part of the company’s effort to reduce its reliance on OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT. Microsoft is seeking to integrate both internal and third-party AI models into its flagship Microsoft 365 Copilot product. Additionally, Microsoft plans to offer customers the ability to run the R1 model locally on Copilot+ PCs, which may help address privacy and data-sharing concerns.
DeepSeek’s decision to store user data on servers in China could pose a challenge for its broader adoption in the U.S., where data security is a key concern. Microsoft and OpenAI are also investigating whether a group linked to DeepSeek unlawfully obtained data from OpenAI’s technology.
In response to DeepSeek’s rise in the AI space, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman announced adjustments to their releases, including a new version of ChatGPT tailored for U.S. government agencies. Meanwhile, Chinese tech giant Alibaba also unveiled a new AI model, Qwen 2.5, marking the start of a busy period in the AI market.