BGMI-maker Tencent's latest AI model to compete with China's DeepSeek

Chinese multinational firm Tencent has launched a new AI model to compete with DeepSeek's R1 AI model. DeepSeek launching its AI model had created waves in the global tech industry and had led to a massive rout in tech stocks globally.

The latest model, Hunyuan Turbo S, is designed to reply as instantly as possible. This is different from the deep research method that multiple AI models follow, including DeepSeek's R1.

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The deployment cost has also fallen sharply, Bloomberg reported citing Tencent's message on its official WeChat channel.

How to get Hunyuan Turbo S?

The model is now available to developers and enterprise users via Tencent's cloud services. It will begin testing the model among selected users on its consumer-facing chatbot, Yuanbao, which had lagged rivals in usage.

From OpenAI to Alibaba Group Holding, major industry players on both sides of the Pacific have in just the past month rolled out AI models at a rapid clip.

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The series of introductions underscore a dramatically quickened pace of development since DeepSeek stunned Silicon Valley with a model that matched the best from OpenAI and Meta Platforms Inc. That was true particularly in China, where the 20-month-old startup has galvanized interest across a tech industry that for years struggled to match the US.

“Every player will incorporate their techniques to improve their own architecture, and so we’ll keep having companies come up with new models that claim to be better,” said Xin-Yao Ng, an investment director at abrdn plc. “Tencent is likely to also invest heavily into AI infrastructure like Baba, and look to grow their AI cloud business," Ng added.

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According to Bloomberg research, the new model is not likely to bring short-term profits to the Tencent, which was behind the famous mobile game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI).

DeepSeek had made a mark particularly because of its low cost of deployment, which had shaken economics of AI models that had been launched till then as they were considered to be high-value investments.