DeepSeek R1 vs. ChatGPT: How AI Just Changed Forever

For years, the AI industry followed one rule: bigger models, more GPUs, and massive budgets equal better AI. OpenAI’s GPT-4 was built on this belief, requiring over $100 million in training costs and 8,000 of the most advanced GPUs to develop.

Then, DeepSeek R1 launched—and turned everything upside down.

Built with just $6 million, trained on 2,048 weaker Nvidia H800 GPUs, and developed using reinforcement learning instead of brute-force training, DeepSeek R1 has matched or outperformed GPT-4 in several AI benchmarks.

How is a model trained with one-tenth of OpenAI’s budget competing with the most powerful AI models? Let’s break it down with the benchmark results and what this means for AI’s future.

DeepSeek R1 vs. ChatGPT: The Training Cost and Hardware Gap

The most shocking part of DeepSeek R1’s success is how little it costs to develop. Here’s a direct comparison:

• DeepSeek R1: Trained on 2,048 Nvidia H800 GPUs (export-restricted), costing just $6 million.
• GPT-4 (ChatGPT): Trained on 8,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs, costing over $100 million.

Despite having far fewer GPUs and a much smaller budget, DeepSeek R1 still managed to match or surpass GPT-4 in critical AI benchmarks.

This proves that brute-force computing isn’t the only way to build AI—smarter training techniques can achieve the same or better results.

Benchmark Data: Where DeepSeek R1 Excels Over GPT-4

DeepSeek R1 isn’t just a competitor to GPT-4—it beats it in multiple key areas, including math, coding, and structured reasoning tasks.

^{Source: DeepSeek}

English Performance: Holding Its Own Against the Best

DeepSeek R1 performs on par with GPT-4 and OpenAI’s o1 models in English-based benchmarks, proving that it can process and analyze information as well as models trained on larger datasets.

• MMLU (General Knowledge & Reasoning): DeepSeek R1 scored 90.8, surpassing GPT-4 (87.2) and almost matching OpenAI’s o1-1217 (91.8).
• MMLU-Redux (Advanced Reasoning): DeepSeek R1 hit 92.9, while GPT-4 only managed 88.0.
• DROP (Complex Reading Comprehension): R1 scored 92.2, compared to GPT-4’s 83.7.

These results show that DeepSeek R1 isn’t just generating words—it can understand and reason at an elite level.

Math Performance: Destroying GPT-4 in Complex Problem Solving

AI models struggle with multi-step mathematical reasoning—but DeepSeek R1 excels, leaving GPT-4 far behind.

• AIME 2024 (Advanced Math Problem-Solving): DeepSeek R1 scored 79.8, while GPT-4 lagged at 9.3.
• MATH-500 (Comprehensive Math Evaluation): DeepSeek R1 achieved 97.3, compared to GPT-4’s 74.6.
• CNMO 2024 (Math Olympiad-Level Questions): DeepSeek R1 dominated with 78.8, while GPT-4 managed only 10.8.

This massive gap in math performance proves that DeepSeek R1’s reinforcement learning-based reasoning is far superior to GPT-4’s approach to structured problem-solving.

Coding Performance: One of the Strongest AI Models for Programming

DeepSeek R1 isn’t just good at reasoning—it’s one of the best AI models ever built for coding tasks.

• Codeforces Ranking (AI Competitive Programming): DeepSeek R1 scored 2,029, crushing GPT-4’s 759.
• LiveCodeBench (Real-World Coding Challenges): DeepSeek R1 scored 65.9, while GPT-4 only managed 34.2.

This means that DeepSeek R1 isn’t just generating code—it understands programming logic better than most major AI models.

Chinese Language Performance: One of the Best in the World

DeepSeek R1 is also one of the strongest AI models for Chinese language understanding, outperforming GPT-4 and OpenAI’s o1-mini.

• C-Eval (General Knowledge in Chinese): DeepSeek R1 scored 91.8, significantly higher than GPT-4 (76.0).
• C-SimpleQA (Basic Question-Answering in Chinese): DeepSeek R1 led with 63.7, compared to GPT-4’s 58.7.

This shows that DeepSeek R1 isn’t just built for English users—it’s an elite model across multiple languages.

Why DeepSeek R1 Changes Everything

DeepSeek R1’s success forces the AI industry to rethink everything. It proves three major points:

1. AI can be built faster and cheaper.
   • If DeepSeek R1 can compete with GPT-4 for just $6M, future AI development could become far more affordable.
2. AI doesn’t need the most powerful GPUs to be effective.
   • Despite using weaker H800 GPUs, DeepSeek R1 still competes with GPT-4, which relied on more expensive H100 GPUs.
3. AI is moving toward efficiency, not just raw power.
   • Smarter training methods like reinforcement learning may replace the high-cost approach used by OpenAI and Google.

This is why DeepSeek R1 isn’t just another AI model—it’s a shift in how AI is developed.

Conclusion

DeepSeek R1 challenges everything we thought we knew about AI development.

Despite being trained on one-tenth of OpenAI’s budget, it competes with and sometimes outperforms GPT-4 in English, math, coding, and Chinese benchmarks.

Its launch sent financial markets into chaos, as investors questioned whether billion-dollar AI budgets are still necessary.

With its low-cost training, open-source accessibility, and industry-shaking performance, DeepSeek R1 is proving that AI’s future isn’t about who has the most money—it’s about who uses it the smartest way.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How did DeepSeek R1 match GPT-4 with a lower budget?
DeepSeek R1 used reinforcement learning and reasoning-based training, making it more efficient at solving complex problems.

2. Why did Nvidia’s stock drop after DeepSeek R1 launched?
DeepSeek R1 showed that AI models don’t need Nvidia’s most powerful chips, making investors question Nvidia’s AI hardware dominance.

3. Will AI development become cheaper because of DeepSeek R1?
Yes. If companies adopt efficiency-based training, AI costs could drop significantly, making AI more accessible.

Investor Caution 

While the crypto hype has been exciting, remember that the crypto space can be volatile. Always conduct your research, assess your risk tolerance, and consider the long-term potential of any investment.

Bitrue Official Website:

Website: https://www.bitrue.com/

Sign Up: https://www.bitrue.com/user/register

Disclaimer: The views expressed belong exclusively to the author and do not reflect the views of this platform. This platform and its affiliates disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy or suitability of the information provided. It is for informational purposes only and not intended as financial or investment advice.