Alibaba launches DeepSeek rival, sending stock surging
Chinese tech giant Alibaba unveiled its latest artificial intelligence reasoning model on Thursday, boasting that its capabilities beat rivals like OpenAI and startup DeepSeek.
The news prompted Alibaba's Hong Kong-listed shares to close 8% higher and helped boost the Hang Seng's China Enterprises Index.
Alibaba touted its new model, QwQ-32B, in an online statement as delivering 'exceptional performance, almost entirely surpassing OpenAI-o1-mini and rivaling the strongest open-source reasoning model, DeepSeek-R1.' OpenAI-o1-mini is the American company's cost-efficient reasoning model released last year.
Alibaba added the model has achieved a 'qualitative leap in mathematics, coding, and general capabilities, with overall performance on par with DeepSeek R1,' it said in the statement.
The company claimed that its model has 32 billion parameters compared with DeepSeek's R1, which has 671 billion parameters. Fewer parameters imply a model is smaller and more efficient to train.
DeepSeek stunned the world in January with its high-performing reasoning model R1 that it said cost far less to train than established Western rivals. Its success has shored up confidence among global investors in Chinese companies' ability to innovate at the time when the US-China tech rivalry intensifies. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index has surged over 30% since January.
Alibaba, the owner of Chinese e-commerce platforms Taobao and Tmall, first launched its ChatGPT-equivalent service Tongyi Qianwen in 2023, after OpenAI launched its industry-defining AI reasoning model.
In January, Alibaba released another model, Qwen 2.5 Max, which it said surpassed the performance of DeepSeek's highly acclaimed V3 model, released just a few weeks before.
Last week, Alibaba pledged to invest at least 380 billion yuan ($52.4 billion) in its AI and cloud computing infrastructure over the next three years. It said the amount exceeded what it had invested in those areas over the past decade.
On Wednesday, Chinese leaders pledged support for 'emerging industries and industries of the future,' including increasing funding for artificial intelligence, humanoid robots and quantum technology.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
21 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Jane Street Signs Hong Kong Central's Biggest Lease in Decades
Jane Street Group has signed for six floors in an upcoming tower developed by Henderson Land Development Co. in Hong Kong's central business district, marking the biggest office deal in the area in decades. The quantitative trading firm will occupy 223,437 square feet (20,758 square meters) in Henderson's Site 3 project on the waterfront of Victoria Harbour, the developer said in a statement on Friday. The lease will be five years, commencing from Jan. 1, 2028.
San Francisco Chronicle
25 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
The most-anticipated Bay Area restaurants opening this summer
After several years of post-pandemic recovery in fits and starts, there's an energy in the air in the Bay Area food world. Just look at what's slated to open this summer, which starts June 20. A modern Cantonese restaurant whose chef wants to push the envelope when it comes to Chinese food. Spinoffs from Michelin-starred restaurants, including a bakery and a gelato shop. Restaurants specializing in fresh soba noodles, heritage breed chickens, Cantonese barbecue and hyper-regional French cuisine. Plus, this summer brings second outposts of two daytime San Francisco favorites — Asian-American bakery Breadbelly and bagel shop Schlok's — and a new seafood market from acclaimed restaurant Nopa. And on the Peninsula, an exciting Korean-Taiwanese restaurant is opening its doors. Bar Chisme Late night eats from Chisme chef Manuel Bonilla, whose popup at Oakland's Low Bar ranked among the best new restaurants of 2024, are making a comeback. Bar Chisme is taking over the former Kon-Tiki space with a no-frills approach and dishes mashing up Salvadoran and Filipino flavors. Expect two types of burgers and a cozy, homey vibe space with an eclectic twist Bonilla envisions as 'Abuelita's house on acid.' — Mario Cortez Café Vivant There's nothing else quite like Café Vivant in the Bay Area: a restaurant devoted wholly to heritage chickens raised exclusively for the restaurant on a coastal farm in Pescadero. Arriving in Menlo Park late July, it will be the first restaurant from Jason Jacobeit and Daniel Jung, two sommeliers who run Somm Cellars, a rare wine retailer in New York City. They've partnered with farmer Rob James, whose sought-after poultry are served at many top Bay Area restaurants, and longtime chef Jared Wentworth, who's worked at Michelin-star restaurants in Chicago. They'll also open an outpost of Somm Cellars next door, with retail bottles, tastings, a market, coffee and its own food menu. — E.K. Projected opening: late July Gelateria di Cotogna One of the delights of eating at San Francisco's Cotogna has long been the abundant gelato cart that roamed the Italian restaurant's dining room. Soon, the housemade gelato will have its own home: a shop a few blocks away. Jennifer Felton, executive pastry chef for Cotogna, Quince and Verjus, is behind the gelato program. Expect flavors from vanilla honeycomb and chocolate stracciatella to seasonal creations like aprium (an apricot-plum hybrid fruit) or strawberries grown on the restaurant's private farm. Until the gelateria opens, catch an ice cream cart parked outside Cotogna Thursday-Saturday, noon to 4:30 p.m. — E.K. Projected opening: late summer The Happy Crane Given his fine-dining background, you might expect chef James Yeun Leong Parry to devote his upcoming Cantonese restaurant, the Happy Crane, to inventive reinterpretations of classic dishes. He will. But Leong Parry also wants to perfect those classics, like Peking duck and char siu. The chef, who previously worked at the three-Michelin-star Benu in San Francisco as well as Michelin-starred restaurants in Hong Kong, became known at his popup of the same name for dishes that meld his half-Chinese identity and culinary expertise, like char siu made with pork jowl smoked with compressed apple and fennel. Expect the same creativity at the Hayes Valley restaurant, on a prominent corner with floor-to-ceiling glass walls. — E.K. Projected opening: August La Cigale La Cigale, an ambitious, regional French restaurant from a veteran chef, will arrive in San Francisco's Glen Park neighborhood this summer. Joseph Magidow, who previously worked at top San Francisco restaurants including the Delfina, Locanda and the now-closed Tawla, will channel the cuisine of the Occitania region in southwestern France. Every dish will be cooked on a wood-burning hearth in the center of the restaurant, and served by Magidow from behind a 15-seat chef's counter. — E.K. Projected opening: summer 679 Chenery St., San Francisco. Parachute A bakery with Michelin-star cred is headed to San Francisco's Ferry Building. Parachute comes from the team behind fine-dining restaurant Sorrel, which has held a star since 2019. It will be devoted to laminated pastries that highlight seasonal produce from the famed farmers market located steps outside its front doors, plus coffee and other confections. Executive pastry chef Nasir Zainulabadin, formerly of Sorrel and the two-Michelin-star Saison, will oversee Parachute. The owners will open Parachute in the former Slanted Door space along with Arquet, a full-service restaurant focused on Californian cuisine and wood-fired cooking coming later this year. — E.K. Projected opening: July 1 Ferry Building, Suite 5, San Francisco. Quack House After moving out of Chinatown last year, the family behind storied Cantonese barbecue shop Hing Lung will soon reopen at its relocated, and rebranded main shop. Going by Quack House, expect the same expertly roasted ducks and racks of pork ribs from brothers Eric and Simon Cheung. Also making a comeback are duck liver sausages, Chinese bacon and traditional Hong Kong-style rice plates. The new operation complements the siblings' other project, Cantonese barbecue restaurant Go Duck Yourself, but in a return to Hing Lung's origins, Quack House will offer birds and pork chopped up and served by the pound. — M.C. Projected opening: late summer 927 Post St., San Francisco. Stereo 41 A former PG&E customer service office is shaping up as the place to be in Walnut Creek. Starting this summer, Stereo 41 will offer Middle Eastern dishes in a space channeling the style and sounds of Japanese hi-fi bars. Stereo 41 comes from an ambitious team that includes Victor Ghaben of hot chicken specialist World Famous Hot Boys and Sofia Sabet, his sister and owner of adjacent restaurant Lita. The siblings worked with Andres Giraldo Flores of Oakland's Snail Bar in developing the menu. Leading the kitchen is executive chef Jonathan De La Torre, who has worked at San Francisco landmark restaurants such as Mourad, Nopa and Quince. — M.C. Projected opening: late summer 1535 Bonanza St. Walnut Creek. Soba Dining Sora Soba noodles don't often get the spotlight in the Bay Area, where only a few restaurants specialize in this Japanese buckwheat noodle. But Soba Dining Sora is adding to the local roster this summer. The restaurant, with two locations in Japan's Saitama Prefecture, will open in Japantown next to sibling restaurant Hinodeya Ramen. The restaurant has become known for its nutty noodles made fresh and served with bonito dipping sauce and tempura, or as part of a set meal which can include duck loin or assorted sashimi in a relaxed, casual environment. — M.C. Expected opening: midsummer 1731 Buchanan St., San Francisco. Super Mensch There's a new restaurant paying homage to East Coast-style Jewish delis coming to San Francisco's Marina District. Super Mensch is the newest venture from the Causwells team, who operate next door, with chef Adam Rosenblum serving nostalgic homages to the Reubens on rye and other Jewish American dishes he grew up eating. Expect sandwiches stacked with pastrami cured in-house and fresh baked bagels topped with lox. As expected from the Causwells team, bar director Elmer Mejicanos has prepared elaborate cocktails that tap into New York deli staples like black and white cookies and celery-flavored sodas. — M.C. Projected opening: August 2336 Chestnut St., San Francisco. Tsujita Artisan Noodle One of Los Angeles' most famous ramen shops is coming to the Bay Area: Tsujita Artisan Noodle, opening its first Northern California location in San Jose this month. People line up at Tsujita for its speciality: tsukemen, or cold ramen noodles served with a warm dipping sauce on the side. Tsujita serves bowls of thick, chewy noodles crowned with chashu, seasoned eggs and other toppings; plus spicy and vegan variations and Japanese beer and sake. It will join only a few other dedicated tsukemen restaurants in the Bay Area, including the popular Taishoken and Shutgetsu. — E.K. Projected opening: June 21
WIRED
33 minutes ago
- WIRED
This Chatbot Tool Pays Users $50 a Month for Their Feedback on AI Models
Jun 13, 2025 7:00 AM On Yupp, chatbot users earn cash by saying which of two prompts they prefer—info that has great value to the AI companies running the models Photo-Illustration: Wired Staff; Yupp/Getty Images To show off how easy it is for users to earn money by using his new chatbot platform, Pankaj Gupta offers to cash out $1 worth of Yupp credits, sending it to me over Venmo or PayPal. I'm talking with Gupta in the WIRED office during a prelaunch demo of Yupp, which comes out of stealth mode today. Journalistic ethics forbid accepting gifts from sources, so I politely decline. He proceeds to send it over PayPal to his Stanford alumni email. Gupta is the CEO of Yupp, which is free to use and available globally. The website looks similar to other generative AI tools like ChatGPT. There's a prompt box, a way to attach files, and a log of past conversations. The main difference is that every time users ask Yupp a question, they'll see two answers, generated by two different models and displayed side by side. Yupp routes prompts to a pair of LLMs, choosing from a pool of over 500 models that includes products from leading US generative AI companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, as well as international releases, like models from Alibaba, DeepSeek, and Mistral. After looking over the two answers, users pick the response they like best, then provide feedback explaining why. For their effort, they earn a digital scratch card with Yupp credits. "You're not being employed, but you can make a little bit of money,' says Gupta. In my testing, the Yupp credits on the scratch cards typically ranged from zero to around 250, though they occasionally went higher. Every 1,000 credits can be exchanged for $1. Users can cash out a maximum of $10 a day and $50 a month. Not sure where to start while testing this web app, I turned to the range of pre-written topics flickering beneath Yupp's prompt bar, which spanned from news topics, like David Hogg leaving the DNC, to ideas for image-creation prompts, like generating a crochet-looking surfer. (Yupp's models can generate text or images.) I eventually chose to have the bots explain different perspectives on the current Los Angeles protests. I was interested in how it would pull from news reports and other sources to generate the analysis about a political issue. Yupp notified me that generating this answer would cost 50 of my 8,639 Yupp credits; users have to spend credits to make credits on Yupp. It generated two answers, one from Perplexity's Sonar, on the left side, and one from an 'AI agent' for news built by Yupp, on the right. AI agents are buzzy right now; they're basically task-based AI programs that can perform a string of simple operations on your behalf when given a single prompt. The output based on Perplexity's model answered the question citing five online sources, including CBS News and a YouTube video uploaded by the White House titled 'Third-World Insurrection Riots on American Soil.' The other answer, generated by the news agent, cited twice as many sources, including the socialist magazine Jacobin and MSNBC. In addition to having more sources, the answer on the right side included more context about what Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass has been doing. I clicked the button saying I preferred that generation and gave my feedback, which Yupp anonymizes before aggregating. A shiny card resembling a lottery scratcher ticket popped up afterwards, and I used my mouse to scratch it off. I got a measly 68 credits for that feedback, not exactly a windfall. But since I spent 50 credits to run the prompt, it put me up by 18 credits. After about an hour of messaging with the chatbot about different topics and giving my feedback on the models, the total points accrued equaled about $4. The cash-out options include PayPal and Venmo, but also cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. 'Crypto and stablecoin allow us to instantly reach anywhere in the world,' Gupta says. While I didn't earn much money, the free outputs did include answers generated by newly released models that are often locked behind subscription paywalls. If someone wants to use a free chatbot and doesn't mind the friction of providing feedback as the web interface flips between models, Yupp could be worth trying out. During the demo, Gupta asked Yupp where the WIRED office was located. Both models spit out wrong answers initially, though subsequent tries got it right. Still, he sees the side by side outputs as potentially helpful for users who are concerned about AI-generated errors, which are still quite prevalent, and want another point of comparison. ''Every AI for everyone' is kind of our tagline,' says Gupta. 'We have organized all the AI models we can find today.' Yupp's website encourages developers to reach out if they want their language or image model added to the options. It doesn't currently have any deals with AI model builders, and provides these responses by making API calls. Every time someone uses Yupp they are participating in a head-to-head comparison of two chatbot models, and sometimes getting a reward for providing their feedback and picking a winning answer. Basically, it's a user survey disguised as a fun game. (The website has lots of emoji.) He sees the data trade off in this situation for users as more explicit than past consumer apps, like Twitter—which he's quick to tell me that he was the 27th employee at and now has one of that company's cofounders, Biz Stone, as one of his backers. 'This is a little bit of a departure from previous consumer companies,' he says. 'You provide feedback data, that data is going to be used in an anonymized way and sent to the model builders.' Which brings us to where the real money is at: Selling human feedback to AI companies that desperately want more data to fine tune their models. 'Crowdsourced human evaluations is what we're doing here,' Gupta says. He estimates the amount of cash users can make will add up to enough for a few cups of coffee a month. Though, this kind of data labeling, often called reinforcement learning with human feedback in the AI industry, is extremely valuable for companies as they release iterative models and fine tune the outputs. It's worth far more than the bougiest cup of coffee in all of San Francisco. The main competitor to Yupp is a website called LMArena, which is quite popular with AI insiders for getting feedback on new models and bragging rights if a new release rises to the top of the pack. Whenever a powerful model is added to LMArena, it often stokes rumors about which major company is trying to test out its new release in stealth. 'This is a two-sided product with network effects of consumers helping the model builders,' Gupta says. 'And model builders, hopefully, are improving the models and submitting them back to the consumers.' He shows me a beta version of Yupp's leaderboard, which goes live today and includes an overall ranking of the models alongside more granular data. The rankings can be filtered by how well a model performs with specific demographic information users share during the sign-up process, like their age, or on a particular prompt category, like health-care related questions. Near the end of our conversation, Gupta brings up artificial general intelligence—the theory of superintelligent, human-like algorithms—as a technology that is imminent. 'These models are being built for human users at the end of the day, at least for the near future,' he says. It's a fairly common belief, and marketing point, among people working at AI companies, despite many researchers still questioning whether the underlying technology behind large language models will ever be able to produce AGI. Gupta wants Yupp users, who may be anxious about the future of humanity, to envision themselves as actively shaping these algorithms and improving their quality. 'It's better than free, because you are doing this great thing for AI's future,' he says. 'Now, some people would want to know that, and others just want the best answers.' And even more users might just want extra cash and be willing to spend a few hours giving feedback during their chatbot conversations. I mean, $50 is $50.
