Spotlight on DeepSeek's Next Model... Signals of 'Multimodal' Evolution

DeepSeek R1 Successor Imminent
Toward AI Integrating Text, Audio, and Video
New Model Likely to Feature Enhanced Inference Capabilities

According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on January 19, industry attention is focused on the next model to be released by DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup, one year after the debut of its R1 model.

DeepSeek application screen displayed on a smartphone. Photo by AP Yonhap News.

The new model is expected to be unveiled around the Lunar New Year. Jordan Nanos, a researcher at semiconductor consulting firm SemiAnalysis, predicted, "It is highly likely that DeepSeek will introduce a new model with enhanced inference capabilities around the Lunar New Year, just as it did last year."

This model is expected to feature multimodal capabilities. Multimodal technology refers to the ability to understand and process not only text but also images, audio, video, and sensor data simultaneously. This suggests that DeepSeek may evolve beyond text inference models into AI that integrates images, audio, video, robotics, and control. Kevin Xi of US-based investment firm Interconnected Capital said, "We expect to see progress in the multimodal realm."

Since the launch of R1, the AI power struggle between the US and China has intensified, and there are projections that China may take the lead. The Financial Times (FT) assessed that while the US still leads in the short-term competition, "China will win" in the long run. In AI competition, it is not only the model itself but also the deployment and diffusion across the broader economy that matter. In this respect, China's long-term state-led industrial strategy is seen as offering several advantages. Global energy and petrochemical market intelligence agency ICIS also analyzed that the decisive variables in the AI power struggle will ultimately be electricity and geopolitics.

Since its first appearance on January 20 last year, DeepSeek has had a significant impact across China's technology industry. The company emerged at a time when global investors were treating China as an "uninvestable" market due to the Chinese government's strengthened antitrust regulations and US semiconductor export controls, thereby demonstrating the potential of the Chinese market. Lorraine Tan, Head of Research at US investment research firm Morningstar, said, "Despite various restrictions, this was an opportunity to show that Chinese companies can still innovate," adding, "This led to a recovery in investor confidence."