DeepSeek makes Chinese manufacturers more powerful than ever!

Chinese automakers are overwhelmingly choosing DeepSeek AI to equip their smart cars.

The DeepSeek AI is experiencing soaring popularity, surpassing 20 million daily active users, and is now attracting major names in Chinese automotive industry. Manufacturers are competing to integrate this model into their connected vehicles, convinced that AI is the next essential step after electrification. He Xiaopeng, CEO of Xpeng, emphasizes that AI will bring about changes in the automotive industry far deeper than those caused by electrification. Meanwhile, Li Xiang, president of Li Auto, insists that electrification is only the first phase, and that artificial intelligence is the second, crucial for building the cars of tomorrow.

On February 6th, Geely was the first automaker to announce the integration of DeepSeek’s R1 model into its connected vehicle system, beginning a data distillation process to optimize AI efficiency. Shortly after, Zeekr announced the integration of its own AI model Kr with DeepSeek R1, alongside the launch of its cockpit assistant, the AI Eva. Other major players, such as Dongfeng, Changan, Leapmotor, and GAC, have also announced collaborations with DeepSeek.

An Omnipresent Chinese Technology

Data distillation allows the transfer of knowledge from a large model to a smaller model, thereby reducing resource consumption and processing time. This innovation paves the way for more natural voice interactions, better understanding of driver intentions, and accelerated AI development.

This phenomenon extends beyond the automotive sector, as other Chinese industries are also venturing into DeepSeek integration. The country’s three main telecom operators—China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom—have announced their collaborations with DeepSeek’s open-source model. This growing adoption of AI is accompanied by heightened investor enthusiasm, fueled by hopes of a positive impact on the Chinese technology sector. It is clear that the integration of DeepSeek into the automotive industry is just the beginning of a broader evolution.

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