Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek has released preview versions of its latest models — DeepSeek-V4-Pro and V4-Flash — marking a closer integration with domestic chipmaker Huawei and intensifying competition with US developers, including OpenAI and Google.
The launch comes as artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly contested front in the US-China technology rivalry, amid heightened scrutiny over intellectual property and access to advanced semiconductors.
Credit: Deepseek
Performance positioning narrows gap with leading models
DeepSeek said the V4-Pro model outperforms other open-source systems in mathematics, coding and reasoning benchmarks, and trails only closed-source models such as Google's Gemini 3.1-Pro in world knowledge.
The company added that performance is only "marginally short" of leading proprietary models, suggesting a gap of several months behind frontier systems, according to its disclosures.
The V4 series includes a higher-performance Pro version and a lower-cost Flash variant, which offers similar reasoning capabilities with faster response times and improved cost efficiency. Both models support context windows of up to one million tokens.
DeepSeek said the V4-Pro model is built on a mixture-of-experts architecture with 1.6 trillion total parameters and 49 billion active parameters, while the Flash version adopts a smaller configuration with 284 billion total parameters and 13 billion active parameters for improved efficiency. The company added that throughput for the Pro version is currently limited, reflecting constraints in high-end computing supply.
The company also highlighted improvements in so-called agentic capabilities, particularly in coding-related tasks, and said the models adopt a sparse attention mechanism designed to reduce computational and memory requirements. Detailed technical specifications have not been independently verified.
Huawei collaboration highlights shift in AI supply chain
The V4 models are designed to run on Huawei's Ascend AI chip platform, reflecting closer collaboration between the two companies and a shift away from DeepSeek's earlier reliance on Nvidia chips, according to company statements and media reports.
Huawei said its Ascend systems support the full DeepSeek V4 model series, underscoring its efforts to build a domestic AI computing ecosystem.
The shift comes as US export restrictions on advanced semiconductors, introduced in 2022, continue to limit China's access to high-end chips, accelerating the development of local alternatives.
Pricing and open-source approach add pressure on market
DeepSeek continues to position its models as open-source, allowing developers to use and modify the code — in contrast to the closed systems offered by major US firms.
The company has emphasized cost efficiency as a key differentiator. Media reports indicate pricing for the V4 models is significantly lower than that of comparable proprietary systems, though final commercial terms have not been disclosed.
DeepSeek added that the models are compatible with widely used interfaces from OpenAI and Anthropic, lowering barriers for developers looking to adopt the system.
Market reports indicate the release weighed on shares of some domestic AI firms, reflecting concerns over rising competitive pressure.
Credit: Deepseek
Launch coincides with rising geopolitical scrutiny
The release follows heightened scrutiny from Washington. The White House has accused China of conducting "industrial-scale" theft of US artificial intelligence intellectual property, according to official statements.
DeepSeek has been cited in broader concerns over potential export control violations and model development practices. The company has acknowledged using Nvidia hardware in earlier systems, but has not confirmed whether those chips were subject to restrictions.
Chinese authorities have rejected the allegations. The Chinese Embassy in Washington said the claims are "baseless" and reiterated that Beijing places importance on intellectual property protection.
Artificial intelligence development remains a key battleground in global technology competition. While US firms continue to lead in advanced model development, Chinese companies have narrowed the performance gap in recent years, according to industry analyses.
Article edited by Jerry Chen
