TheTechMedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Adobe-Express-file-300×168.jpg 300w” sizes=”(max-width: 364px) 100vw, 364px”>DeepSeek, the Chinese startup app that topped the free downloads chart on iPhones in the US, and has single handedly created havoc among US tech stocks, has now temporarily halted new user sign-ups for its AI assistant platform. The company officially confirmed the move, citing recent cyberattacks as the main reason. “Due to large-scale malicious attacks on DeepSeek’s services, we are temporarily limiting registrations to ensure continued service. Existing users can log in as usual. Thank you for your understanding and support,” the company stated on its support page.
While major global AI companies are still struggling to enter the Chinese market, this China-based AI startup has consistently made headlines worldwide after releasing its open-source R1 model last week.
Founded in 2023, DeepSeek has recently emerged as a notable player with its open-source model, DeepSeek-R1. However, the company was hit by a cyberattack just hours after its AI Assistant app surpassed ChatGPT in terms of downloads on the App Store. Experts believe that this sudden limelight also attracted the attention of cybercriminals, making the company their prime target.
Currently, if you check the company’s status page, DeepSeek has updated that they are still investigating the issue. Meanwhile, on the sign-up page, users are seeing a pop-up with the message, “Registration may be busy.” However, this incident has caused concerns about the safety of user data and the overall reliability of DeepSeek’s platform.
In response, the Hangzhou-based startup has assured users that it is collaborating with cybersecurity experts to evaluate the damage and improve security measures. At the same time, the company advised users to keep an eye on their accounts for any unusual activity and to wait for updates from DeepSeek on new safety procedures that may be implemented. As of now, there is no official statement from the company regarding the attackers’ details or the nature of the cyberattack.
Speaking of DeepSeek itself, the company is seen as a low-cost alternative to US AI firms. With its DeepSeek-V3 and R1 models, the company is offering similar performance to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, but at a much lower price. This has caught attention worldwide and disrupted the market.
Notably, the DeepSeek-V3 model, launched on January 10, was trained using Nvidia’s less powerful H800 chips, with the total cost of training being under $6 million. Meanwhile, the company also claims that its DeepSeek-R1 model, released last week, is significantly cheaper to use – around 20 to 50 times less expensive than OpenAI’s o1 model.
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