In a remarkable turn of events, DeepSeek, a Chinese startup founded just over a year ago, has risen to the number one spot on the App Store, outpacing OpenAI’s ChatGPT, expressed Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff taking to X to share his thoughts.

“DeepSeek is now #1 on the AppStore, surpassing ChatGPT—no NVIDIA supercomputers or $100M needed,” he wrote, emphasising the importance of data and metadata as the true driving forces behind AI innovation.

DeepSeek, based in Hangzhou, China, has been making headlines since its launch in January. Its app has become a sensation across countries like the US, UK, and Australia, earning high praise for its unique approach to AI responses. Unlike conventional chatbots, DeepSeek explains its reasoning step by step before delivering an answer. This makes its replies feel more logical and well thought out, according to the company.

The brainchild of Liang Wenfeng, CEO of the AI-driven hedge fund High-Flyer, DeepSeek is built on an open-source model. This means developers worldwide can contribute to and improve its technology, further boosting its appeal. The startup’s first major release, the R1 model, promises performance comparable to OpenAI’s latest offerings but at a fraction of the cost.

What truly sets DeepSeek apart is its focus on cost-efficiency and accessibility. By avoiding the need for expensive supercomputers and vast budgets, the company has managed to challenge industry giants like OpenAI, Nvidia and Google while still delivering high-quality results.

Benioff’s comments underline the significance of this achievement, “The real treasure of AI is not the UI or the model—they have become commodities. The true value lies in data and metadata, the oxygen fueling AI’s potential.”

DeepSeek’s rapid success challenges the traditional belief that AI development requires vast resources. It also highlights a shift in focus towards data as the new “gold” of the AI age.