Tech giant DeepSeek causes a whopping $1 trillion loss in value for American tech companies, prompting a series of massive cyber attacks against it.
In a recent turn of events, DeepSeek, the Chinese AI model, has been hit by a large-scale cyber-attack. The attack was identified by DeepSeek's monitoring system after two hours of continuous surveillance. This incident comes at a time when DeepSeek has been making waves in the AI sector, causing significant losses for American tech giants like Nvidia, Alphabet (Google), and Microsoft, totalling $1 trillion in value.
The attack did not disrupt the login process for existing users, but it did lead to temporary limitations on new user registrations for DeepSeek. This sudden surge in demand might have overwhelmed DeepSeek's servers, causing the difficulties in registering new users recently experienced by the platform.
DeepSeek, often compared to ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Meta AI, has been a thorn in the side of American companies, especially given its efficient and affordable AI models. However, the main form of interference appears to be regulatory and trade-related, not cyber-attack campaigns.
The U.S. government has imposed chip export controls in 2022 and 2023 to limit Beijing's access to cutting-edge GPUs from American firms like Nvidia, which are essential for AI training. This regulatory action, rather than direct cyber-attacks, seems to be the primary method used by American firms to slow China's AI advancements.
The author's analysis, based on a legal drama perspective, suggests a motive behind the cyber-attack could be the significant financial losses suffered by American companies in the AI sector. However, it's important to note that this is speculative, and there is no evidence from the available information that American companies have used cyber-attacks to hinder the growth of DeepSeek.
The American President, Donald Trump, has viewed DeepSeek's success positively, stating it as a "faster method of AI" and a "much less expensive method". He further commented, "That's good because you don't have to spend as much money".
While the cyber-attack has affected stock markets beyond the U.S., including those in Japan and the Netherlands, there are also concerns about data privacy and legal compliance within the EU. A German official has urged Apple and Google to remove DeepSeek's app over alleged unlawful data transfers to China, reflecting regulatory pressure rather than direct sabotage.
In a more speculative note, the author has suggested that the temporary limitations on new user registrations could be a deliberate move to control the number of users. However, this is purely speculative and should be taken as armchair analysis rather than factual evidence.
As the investigation into the cyber-attack on DeepSeek continues, it remains to be seen how this incident will impact the ongoing AI rivalry between the U.S. and China.
The cyber-attack on DeepSeek, a leading AI model in the technology sector, might have been motivated by the significant financial losses it inflicted on American tech giants. The temporary limitations on new user registrations could potentially be a strategy to manage the platform's capacity, given the surge in demand, but this is speculative.
