**DeepSeek AI Confronts Cyberattacks Amidst Explosive Growth as ChatGPT Competitor**

DeepSeek AI, an emerging player in the generative AI sector, is currently facing “large-scale malicious assaults” in light of its rapid success. The China-based startup has recently achieved the title of the **most-downloaded app on Apple’s App Store**, outpacing the popularity of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

The company’s swift rise has led to comparisons with the explosive launch of ChatGPT itself. DeepSeek AI’s open-source large language model (LLM), **DeepSeek R1**, asserts it can match the performance of its Western rivals — but at half the expense and with significantly lower computing power demands. This blend of cost-effectiveness and efficiency has propelled its soaring user numbers.

Accessible as a free web application and on both iOS and Android platforms, DeepSeek’s services have welcomed a huge influx of users over the past week. However, this demand surge has heavily stressed its infrastructure. Complicating things further, alleged cyberattacks have intensified existing challenges, leading the company to temporarily limit new user sign-ups. Updates regarding the situation can be found on the company’s [status page](https://status.deepseek.com/).

Despite the growing interest in its platform, DeepSeek has refrained from providing specific information about the nature or extent of the cyberattacks. The company also chose not to reply to Mashable’s inquiry for comment.

At this moment, DeepSeek’s remarkable ascent continues to create a stir in the AI domain, even as it navigates through its growing challenges and external threats.