The Hunyuan Turbo S is designed to provide answers in under a second, setting it apart from models like DeepSeek R1 and Hunyuan T1, which require more time to process responses, according to Tencent's statement.
In tests covering areas such as knowledge, mathematics, and reasoning, the capabilities of Turbo S were found to be on par with DeepSeek-V3, the engine behind DeepSeek's AI chatbot, which has outperformed OpenAI's ChatGPT in terms of app store downloads.
DeepSeek has not yet provided a response to requests for comment.
The acclaim and widespread adoption of DeepSeek's R1 and V3 models, marking a significant achievement for a Chinese company in Silicon Valley, have prompted major tech firms like Tencent to accelerate the development of new AI models, initiated following the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in late 2022.
Recently, shortly after the DeepSeek-R1 made waves in the global tech landscape and led to a sell-off of AI stocks outside China, e-commerce giant Alibaba introduced the Qwen 2.5-Max model, asserting that it surpasses DeepSeek-V3 in all aspects.
Tencent also noted that the operational costs associated with the new Turbo S are significantly lower than those of its earlier models, emphasizing how DeepSeek's open-source approach and competitive pricing have compelled other leading Chinese AI companies to reduce their charges for users.