DeepSeek Overtakes Rivals as U.S. Firms Seek Lower-Cost AI Alternatives
美国企业转向更便宜AI方案，DeepSeek登上热门榜首
中国人工智能初创公司DeepSeek已成为美国企业中最受关注的软件供应商之一，反映出越来越多企业正在寻找比OpenAI和Anthropic更低成本的AI替代方案。根据纽约企业支出平台Ramp于6月发布的报告，DeepSeek在其“热门软件供应商”排行榜中位居第一。该榜单统计企业首次向某软件供应商采购服务的情况。DeepSeek超过了活动管理平台PheedLoop和AI基础设施服务商Fireworks AI。这是企业积极寻找OpenAI和Anthropic低成本替代品的重要信号。一些公司愿意采用中国托管的AI服务，即使这涉及跨境数据传输和数据安全方面的考虑。DeepSeek的再度升温也是全球AI市场向开源模型和低成本服务转型趋势的一部分。
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has emerged as the top trending software vendor among U.S. businesses, reflecting growing interest in lower-cost alternatives to leading American AI providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
According to a June report from New York-based corporate spending platform Ramp, DeepSeek ranked first on its list of “trending software vendors.” The ranking tracks companies that are purchasing services from a software provider for the first time. DeepSeek surpassed event-management platform PheedLoop and AI infrastructure provider Fireworks AI.
The development highlights a broader shift in the AI market, where businesses are increasingly evaluating cost-effective solutions amid rapidly growing AI adoption. While OpenAI and Anthropic remain dominant players, some companies appear willing to explore alternatives that offer comparable capabilities at lower prices.
A notable aspect of Ramp’s findings is that many U.S. firms are reportedly making direct payments to DeepSeek rather than deploying its open-source models on their own infrastructure. According to Ara Kharazian, lead economist at Ramp Economics Lab, this suggests that businesses are transmitting data directly to DeepSeek-hosted servers and receiving responses from those systems, rather than operating the models internally.
Kharazian described the trend as one of the clearest indications that businesses are actively searching for less expensive AI options. He noted that some companies are willing to use Chinese-hosted AI services despite potential concerns regarding data transfer and cross-border information flows.
This is not the first time DeepSeek has attracted significant attention. The company experienced an earlier surge in popularity in January 2025, when its adoption rate among Ramp-tracked businesses reached 0.3 percent. However, interest later declined, with adoption falling back to around 0.1 percent.
By April 2026, DeepSeek’s adoption rate remained at approximately 0.1 percent. In comparison, Anthropic and OpenAI continued to dominate the corporate AI landscape, with adoption rates of 34.4 percent and 32.3 percent, respectively. Ramp did not disclose updated market-share figures for June, making it difficult to determine how much DeepSeek’s actual usage has increased.
DeepSeek’s resurgence appears to be part of a wider movement toward open-source AI models and more affordable AI services. As companies seek to balance performance, cost, and data governance considerations, competition within the global AI industry is likely to intensify, potentially challenging the dominance of established Silicon Valley providers.
