Alibaba enters AI race, claims its new model outperforms DeepSeek

Alibaba introduced its Qwen 2.5 AI model, claiming it outperforms DeepSeek-V3 and others. The launch highlighted competition with DeepSeek.

Chinese tech company Alibaba on Wednesday released a new version of its Qwen 2.5 artificial intelligence model that it claimed surpassed the highly acclaimed DeepSeek-V3, news agency Reuters reported.

The unusual timing of the Qwen 2.5-Max's release, on the first day of the Lunar New Year when most Chinese people are off work and with their families, points to the pressure Chinese AI startup DeepSeek's meteoric rise in the past three weeks has placed on not just overseas rivals, but also its domestic competition.