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Microsoft’s Bold Move: DeepSeek R1 Joins Azure AI and GitHub

Microsoft integrates DeepSeek R1 into Azure AI Foundry and GitHub, sparking debates on AI innovation, censorship, and competition with OpenAI.

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Microsoft Brings DeepSeek R1 to Azure AI Foundry and GitHub

Microsoft has added the open-source DeepSeek R1 LLM to Azure AI Foundry and GitHub. This move shows that even a big tech giant can act fast when it needs to.

DeepSeek R1 is just one of over 1,800 models in the Azure AI Foundry catalog. But the speed at which it was brought on board is worth noting.

Why This Move Matters

The inclusion of DeepSeek R1 will no doubt ruffle a few feathers among the C-suite at OpenAI. OpenAI, which is heavily backed by Microsoft, claims it has evidence that China’s DeepSeek used its model for training data. Microsoft was reportedly looking into those claims too.

R1 – the Beijing-censored LLM that only emerged last week – caused chaos on Monday. It battered the share prices of many US tech corporations. Investors started to question Silicon Valley’s belief that billions are needed for GPUs and IT infrastructure to train AI.

Microsoft said about the addition: “DeepSeek R1 has undergone rigorous red teaming and safety evaluations. This includes automated assessments of model behavior and extensive security reviews to mitigate potential risks.”

What’s Coming to Copilot+ PCs

The plan is to bring Distilled DeepSeek R1 models to Copilot+ PCs. The first release DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-1.5B will be available in the AI toolkit soon. The 7B and 14B variants will follow.

Qualcomm Snapdragon X-powered devices will support the NPU-optimized versions first. Intel Core Ultra 200V will come later.

OpenAI’s o1, which like R1 can reason before answering queries, will also be available for free to all Copilot users under Microsoft’s Think Deeper brand.

Local Versions of DeepSeek R1 Are Inevitable

The availability of cloud-hosted DeepSeek R1 on Azure AI Foundry made local versions inevitable. Microsoft said: “With the speed and power characteristics of the NPU-optimized version of the DeepSeek R1 models users will be able to interact with these groundbreaking models entirely locally.”

On the swift addition of DeepSeek R1 Microsoft added: “This rapid accessibility – once unimaginable just months ago – is central to our vision for Azure AI Foundry. Bringing the best AI models together in one place to accelerate innovation and unlock new possibilities for enterprises worldwide.”

The Censorship Question

Microsoft might have moved fast to add R1 to its catalog but it’s unclear if it addressed the censorship issue.

When The Reg asked the DeepSeek chatbot about Tiananmen Square it replied tersely: “Sorry that’s beyond my current scope. Let’s talk about something else.”

However, the chatbot was more than happy to discuss the US Capitol attack on January 6, 2021.

Conclusion

Microsoft’s integration of DeepSeek R1 into Azure AI Foundry and GitHub is a game-changer. It highlights the company’s focus on innovation and accessibility.

For AI this is a big step forward. But questions remain about censorship and competition with OpenAI.

ALSO READ: EXPLAINED: Why DeepSeek Has Been Blocked In Italy

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