Microsoft has officially announced the integration of DeepSeek R1, an AI model, into its Azure AI Foundry platform and GitHub.
This move positions DeepSeek R1 among over 1,800 models, including frontier, open-source, and task-specific AI solutions.
The integration aims to provide businesses with seamless access to advanced AI tools on a secure, scalable, and enterprise-ready platform.
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Enhancing AI Reasoning on Azure
DeepSeek R1 is renowned for its state-of-the-art reasoning capabilities, excelling in tasks such as chain-of-thought (CoT) reasoning, logical inference, and real-time decision-making.
With 671 billion parameters, of which only 37 billion are activated per forward pass it employs a Mixture of Experts (MoE) framework to optimize computational efficiency. This architecture ensures scalability while minimizing resource consumption.
The model’s integration into Azure AI Foundry enables developers to experiment, iterate, and deploy AI solutions faster than ever.
“One of the key advantages of using DeepSeek R1 or any other model on Azure AI Foundry is the speed at which developers can experiment, iterate, and integrate AI into their workflows”, according to Asha Sharma, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of AI Platforms.
Built-in evaluation tools allow users to benchmark performance, compare outputs, and scale applications with ease.
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DeepSeek R1’s Cost-Effective Approach
One of DeepSeek R1’s standout features is its affordability. Operational costs are estimated at just 15–50% of those associated with leading proprietary models like OpenAI’s GPT-4.
This cost efficiency has already disrupted the market, making advanced reasoning capabilities accessible to startups and academic institutions with limited budgets.
“DeepSeek R1 offers a powerful yet cost-efficient solution that democratizes access to advanced AI capabilities without heavy infrastructure investment.”, the company said.
The model’s open-source nature further enhances its appeal by allowing developers to inspect, modify, and integrate it into proprietary systems without licensing constraints. Its permissive MIT license encourages community contributions and innovation.
How to Get Started
To use DeepSeek R1 on Azure AI Foundry:
- Sign in or create an Azure account.
- Search for “DeepSeek R1” in the model catalog.
- Open the model card and click “Deploy” to access the inference API and playground.
- Use the provided API key for integration into various applications.
- On GitHub, developers can explore additional resources and step-by-step guides for seamless integration.
Future Developments
The introduction of DeepSeek R1 has already caused an impact through the tech industry. Its low training costs have challenged dominant players like Nvidia and OpenAI, with Nvidia experiencing significant market valuation declines due to reduced demand for high-end chips.
DeepSeek R1’s availability on Azure AI Foundry and GitHub marks a significant milestone in making advanced AI accessible to a broader audience.
Microsoft plans to release distilled versions of DeepSeek R1 optimized for local deployment on Copilot+ PCs via the Windows Copilot Runtime.
These compact models will maintain high performance while reducing hardware requirements, bridging the gap between cloud-based and local AI solutions.
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