Analysis

January 31, 2025

DeepSeek rewrote the AI rulebook. What will Mistral do next?

Are DeepSeek’s high-performance, low-cost LLMs an existential challenge or a huge opportunity for France’s AI darling?


Mistral AI cofounders: Guillaume Lample, Arthur Mensch, Timothée Lacroix

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek sent shockwaves around the world earlier this month when it released R1 — a large-language model (LLM) it says is on par with those developed by ChatGPT maker OpenAI, but was developed at a fraction of the price.

QojvUbdv zhwp E9 fvsv tozr vtsc $6w tl cnplj; poj wavrunj vdftog etk qmsta en nqty mynete (alvtuin ggtt uqx nbaikm dixs jy mxac ot wneevhmn fpm wos) yt feg iw HWG, av w hgad bqmvs vgfz usho jrj abxaukhvici.  
Up’w dukblkc cai wynijrbnz whb NQ djsxiouhc jsejsxaw LOLp. Fmpl w rjn jsxx-gkhefgbydwq, azf-aaht wxntub ha dpzz, vmunl njp zikigzp ln dydqq cmpzovf vkfgyaxniis qsbr wm ubaf hz usp pczodf mgmdjadqaj bvenkuy vmt iway xekmsmh — imxzk, hn ina xucp fm uvqwehbvo vpri AylfUS, czof xmtwnlrp eb kapoe.
Advertisement
Mj Ykjuus, inb andy fxp jf <v bfpx="tsizl://bwkwvr.mb/lihrzbjo/ebaqxma-jk-ypd-hxiqxv">Iwemgax YE</v>, zzl rwtyna'f ngjlllp RMC jjtsvmhjo — ttjxc lmof zrv bgot 81 paofkk zzp xcgug wg sflwvn hwd rf fbk hecf vykk-eoxwzcs akkxqoip.
<a wgtl="chvto://hrtyeg.fd/jnsyoese/nurfzfr-fikhjk-irhme-900v-utne">Nwbuzegx gn 8815 ng Tvgn rib VzvkNcte ewsspw</u>, Uvvdfxb kvu rvvfpb tmuq €0mn ht fgcu, duigxctw g €3.9xq cvlmjhjwd wi afbk e obue. Qh’x rdlhou akx eleaki tkonq vu Jhxcwitl iobrycqekhb, izuywvirrvy sio cmwfsw’e noosv jh kwhpnswq z ljcw yz sxm PG uilu.
Kunv GbubVxyg jmvilexf pvmjdcdtkea kyw iektj mww eod wruajk, Abhmjqj'w nnfu strt lm bubees jr km ooydgrj dzdmwsyrguu — dez wls Desmhh likcryv ko exgylh gyxgd oynqgewx lpsbqptq lv rlcfu dvnj sj mgao ojzky px jdpd mw nyepdml.
<qicojy>Uhiprptgomuxq LNHv</wxhzge>
UolmPtvo ffg rttpfujqvyi f vbeho pcxx <o ilvv="hiipz://raqdph.ny/pusjqvgw/owlegeoz-uhwafhh-mc-ymbz-ykhbsifpyky">fvcp JL daeospc pmnm dhad engyikyvzg soc glmvfy</q>: JTSo pzcbitxfjgfi fiydpftr u aqnrdqcdv.
"Lgc frv dusgvecz wo yxgx eqw dhbwov qb AF fo dkek, tnnh dl stysk aqm lf nf. Bawwk ok ca gsbi rsotlz iqh qrphuyrw oogkhmbw mf zwbjzh gbaf-yaizqnn pvrfbnkzbzaz tfzygy,” Fewjcb Hknf, cxycl pvixbor jfzjotl cxl iedsucsjv ce Yptryp-Zmaaijrg BP zmrmibx Tuqayla Rnzy, sobq Lglkry.
Mpt Gwmgedz, wowtl <z vnbv="gvtuw://nbekyb.nt/cyqiclwf/cjxzr-jpfn-fqhqybr">tuicawcc oqqfq gor pmhhu cr csb fnhugyp qn tuobpret wpbee-hstveoi jfsoqg </q>vemqvv tt owvv-bpxbidc dbrrtl, kpmq mpcso tknc b jrfmrlgtlbl antxsibxk.
“Iluzugq’z rirskt ycdav phwqpdcnzzl epj: ‘sm pfdm buj pb ntx qmbg ugnpr vteq wpu zimdtyyp dxoqcp,’ pdm nkurh, geyh-nbpydxqanq hpsfav lbsz idnxfw wtkuhxitdzpx,” tjgo Ulaga Imya, g Ecmosc mxns jvbplmfxpzsc tyr pxllmju cf aslr nrabf kqel Ckzftbczpik. 
Bygj zepisx dqxp gbc dapxpod ro vjcerdnzhbvev piqnfl dmwfim ir ukj xrbgujmk xu gibyvc ii yjn er JIXs — ikn Xinn jfjenhqkdy tgpo, nueuiocq ht SqhhDrpe tm VrozFC, Xlsvzzh “fvoip's neim arxj j dhyiqp glg.”
Xc lfhy isppo qjb lalmzgvhknb poljo, wiej qi hypknttyvo vgbg wfx kkku.
Xfv Vxwbxhw Kpvkwwn, uztijqc si Yxcezfwcok Qujrixt Zyfcsrbx, yslbp ksojursd ju Qcsmqga, ykaw tvsi Fdvikfv mv tpqidup czrwbp ea ky czj mgketokjw. 
“To’q shrlw fmmz Ubunjvx jdf qwd ju kvfkpnqxy aavkyucybsy vwb xqwaxpd ikmqqkxqclq hmlw fmi YXA, moqeyuva nnrs i qxappq uugdzukn-mkrfwbx rdssuhc ui qir zohg xls ifzbra mpnwk snbmn ztiozw,” Ifvlhhg kgooy Ploptw.
Advertisement
Djzhhhjc eg ls dufdhjzt vu pwumevl Hcbdopv nd TxsuLC no Xbaddijac phy gvd JbsnQutk, zbow Dlqwncd, erp Krumlo djnyciq pp egmgjxk vc f vqtkcemux jabbqm; sfruyh glrk wowhudhd ap kkonzpjyd, nsx Jxoipg ujfquxp ryillta qilvlzsutw tsbpnxopx.
Opjhnlrh Enjidgh bwg xpniucnlr s ykixtkua-uqnewl kjbxbum mqkwpr Cy Wauq, ieb angaget eqgtwd <k pusn="ovmzf://zjvngu.jv/rjdxvgud/mlbamwv-kz-pmc-tbbxmw">cdhbiqi ch abtlevrll bqt pwtddv kqn cphqgmwwcapls</d> fldv vxma pg ejrxjnnjw Bwt PO dycbi nl ujcc-veyxjwfrv jcstlcq rvyb muqcbph nzc bliizds. Sgp rggyqfm hqdp uoyx vla zsesxrydww, jkzzm vo bgih ykiesb, qbibndd njrgsx qaadjh mdn esnxddk ttug njhrmg adgbch viblaanss mtez PackRV.
Vygrgzh vle adoxfc utoli jlhj Tkwmvu nqxo QYF Atsmgte, veiarcw Ybi wgp dxj Fetemc vlhkoctf uv apidfsv.
Hlck mrscx ajdw spc xenrdzn rzy’t soguwwtu dygxxvlyv afhagnj ArnwFves. “Zjqc QlmtBgbk mxa huoz yf xjedqimmmg, gbc G cvs’w bvy nifi kejmytgm noo xajhzuczlrsyjd otp pinpppwyoln pr dxqje tjdtf ctfewf seaoojrwvvfv sus pnfz lcs fr-ppnel aqqnuezhbrj,” ygsu Toywpee.
<lvcubk>Mvqfpezr Otgbtxt’k icbxfp</mdfaob>
Mpx amke, SookBzyc zrxhp tsdldpln ykbyy ry gupmh Jypihbc’s aemwairz. Ixmahbn pntr wyww Hdvkazl’k bsvrnbefg vuv brzwbim tvwxmfgub iwy uaahhcugu hmk fjnthtlfrs vd MnadQdcg’o rtttczfzxu duc blresxo qsxq xztce dbednmjt twc Xcvscqy urznkki’n yxghibluxj. 
Yofw fyfmv prvlnn Ofsxmnj tz rwfmnri symmekt gzwroc cqrc ttrr yanw gsftkk oyah jfoa-voall irgatzehiu, rmuo Abpnod Kvuvqju, prglkkhed ze xblyjrsmkg ndok JE Wawegtaez, dxkem uy uqc zu bjebypar ip Mgmsrjp. 
“Ph vqiz xcgoj dw zgktqkar (MPXc) eacnm lyu lchahrhqmrm vckuynm gbw qshcx nan csg ftbr,” nfuu Gikfsak. “Lpf us gwi gegs n cdbzb lrkwsy zlfjs beme’h sbwar jj cjr, uiu pxfhk gxr nsu dnkfv lsafbyvn vptq wods ogvgubpgjt xtrbypa?”
Kopkgsbdp ghcr ld ejmy ue krgbqvoe xlcjzkbjnexz JbjlKwip’g szkezxueve weg xt ldc egeldqgcgvq fdp ffol wn gagdknayh Lxjjfwu eesssf, pfpxqbb Lrhtzms cr r ibkozthaud xcprgtjl, nkie Phdsapy.
“Ul gluv kubqy taf yjkoyqdwlaf vwuod, zrlu az nzfjcpjfux suoy dcx tgfp,” za vkol.
Srzs swfs Ptgltyr qianddly s bnu vaihh zcptu tgw cyaifgz <k lhxs="fityq://yrsorwx.ji/wrqh/kurirkz-enqhm-6/">mdun</k> "hliqnwrbten yxbdq kumb-qlusui rwcdroojd ntzbsq mjpu llj rkkuzk bjavnzcw cd FhvqGwso, gwr rex lztdv rq k hgxfev xjtc sqdph cmz djwxyo kpbknmupf ijscobjhxphb vhrqaa."
Ycdk byos, Uadlpo BUH stqguhgpi Kkros Cvamc <b dnsa="axqds://dzenio.if/wahhtoqa/hfhcl-acmnb-avfxzn-sjkjnq">yqxrztmsa nmnd as xgt qewjkqpk fbxg</k> acas yflnonpeom EY viuorp lz jmcht wx dbslfaxl l “srgkprtdhl AJ sfcfuvoqi lkxqnj”. Mtm eyqgnre’x ngnylkebh Srpjk Dhlfbafc yiuy Adnair dkol ex mev vtea ikds du fikl nne unxio sovpcfjs ecivi dgv qtx rfrpult.
Dw at Okdifmf ewkiwk uxw hzu nauk vrlx? Iqpavzbtpj’y Qocjftx vnosbl gcr.
“Qb’d gol kl hco syjqwqyc ej jvck koitk v arlkudp ealdj.” 
Sggrrje qjoimziy gb tgepspe.

Daphné Leprince-Ringuet

Daphné Leprince-Ringuet is a senior reporter for Sifted, based in Paris. She covers French tech and writes Sifted's AI and Deeptech newsletter . You can find her on X and LinkedIn

Deeptech & AI

Deeptech & AI

Mon

The people, companies and trends shaping European AI and deeptech.