In a strategic move to enhance its artificial intelligence offerings, Microsoft has announced the integration of DeepSeek’s R1 AI model into its Azure cloud computing platform and GitHub developer tools. This collaboration aims to provide developers with advanced AI capabilities, leveraging DeepSeek’s innovative technology.
DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, has gained attention for developing models that match or surpass Western counterparts at a fraction of the cost.The R1 model’s efficiency and performance have been particularly noteworthy, prompting Microsoft to incorporate it into Azure’s suite of AI tools.
But DeepSeek is more than a competitive threat to Microsoft’s partner, OpenAI. OpenAI has accused DeepSeek of unethical and perhaps even illegal behaviour, allegedly using OpenAI’s ChatGPT to train the new DeepSeek model.
But less than a day after publishing it’s public outrage about DeepSeek’s alleged conduct, Microsoft was announcing it was now offering DeepSeek via Azure.
By offering DeepSeek’s R1 model on Azure, Microsoft says it aims to provide developers with more efficient and cost-effective AI solutions, potentially accelerating innovation across various industries.