Following Huawei’s decision to use the DeepSeek R1 AI model with its Celia voice assistant, Honor is doing the same with its YOYO Assistant.
For reference, DeepSeek R1 is a new Chinese AI large language model (LLM). It aims to compete with OpenAI’s O1 model. It is also an open-source AI model that can reportedly work without an internet connection.
Huawei And DeepSeek Improve AI Chip Technology
Huawei and DeepSeek are helping shape China’s artificial intelligence industry. Huawei is working on better AI chips that can compete with foreign processors. Meanwhile, DeepSeek aims to provide powerful AI services at a lower cost.
Huawei designed the Ascend 910C with several improved components. The company said tests showed that the 910C performed better than Nvidia’s chips in several areas.
According to the DeepSeek AI team, the Huawei Ascend 910C can outperform the Nvidia H100 by 60% in inference tasks. This suggests that China is taking steps to build its own AI technology.
The partnership between Huawei and DeepSeek also shows China’s focus on developing local technology. Huawei continues to look for new ways to improve its AI chips and compete with Nvidia.
Honor Follows Huawei With DeepSeek R1
Honor, another Chinese smartphone company, announced on Saturday that it would add the DeepSeek-R1 model to its YOYO virtual assistant.
The company said it was the first Android manufacturer to add the AI model to its products. This update allows the built-in assistant to use the model’s reasoning skills for more complex tasks.
In recent weeks, Perplexity and Microsoft’s Azure AI Foundry have also added DeepSeek-R1 to their platforms.
However, the YOYO Assistant is currently available only in China. The AI model works with MagicOS 8.0 and newer versions. It also requires YOYO Assistant version 80.0.1.503 or newer.
To use DeepSeek-R1, Honor users in China must open the YOYO Smart Store. They can then find the model and start a conversation.
According to a Huawei Central report, the DeepSeek welcome screen describes the model as an open-source AI agent. It says the model aims to help users explore knowledge, solve problems, and develop creative ideas.
Keep in mind that this is a beta version. As a result, users may experience errors or other issues during early use. However, Honor may release a stable version soon.
Conclusion
Huawei and Honor are not the only smartphone companies exploring AI models. More phone manufacturers may follow this trend and add new AI features to their devices.
Chinese smartphone companies such as Xiaomi and BBK Electronics, which includes Oppo, Vivo, and OnePlus, already use Google’s Gemini AI chatbot on their global devices.
According to Huawei Central, access to DeepSeek will most likely remain limited to China for now.
