Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

Chinese technology company Alibaba has released a new version of its Qwen 2.5 artificial intelligence model, claiming it has surpassed the highly regarded DeepSeek V3 model, Azernews reports.

The unusual timing of the Qwen 2.5-Max release — on the first day of the Lunar New Year, when most Chinese typically relax and spend time with their families — highlights the pressure that the rapid rise of the Chinese startup DeepSeek has exerted on both international and domestic competitors in the field of artificial intelligence.

"The new model demonstrates exceptionally powerful integrated features," Alibaba Cloud said in a statement.

The January 10 release of DeepSeek's AI, based on the DeepSeek V3 model, followed by the January 20 release of its R1 model, shocked Silicon Valley. The development sent ripples through the tech industry, contributing to a drop in the stock prices of major tech companies. DeepSeek’s ability to operate with allegedly lower development and operational costs raised concerns among investors about the sustainability of large-scale spending plans from leading AI companies in the United States.

The growing competition between Chinese and Western AI companies is not only reshaping the landscape of technological innovation but also influencing global markets. As Chinese companies like Alibaba and DeepSeek rapidly advance, many are closely watching whether these more cost-effective approaches to AI development will challenge the dominance of Silicon Valley giants in the coming years. The implications of this shift could be far-reaching, affecting everything from global market dynamics to international regulatory discussions around AI.