Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek has reported a cyber attack that disrupted new user registrations on its platform.

The company, whose AI assistant recently surged to the top of Apple’s App Store in the United States, said it had been targeted by “large-scale malicious attacks” on Monday.

Despite the disruption, DeepSeek assured users that existing accounts remained unaffected.

“Due to large-scale malicious attacks on DeepSeek's services, we are temporarily limiting registrations to ensure continued service,” the company stated on its incident report page.

“Existing users can log in as usual. Thanks for your understanding and support.”

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The attack occurred shortly after DeepSeek’s AI chatbot, a competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, gained widespread popularity in the US.

The app not only became the highest-rated free app on Apple’s App Store but also climbed significantly in Google’s Play Store rankings.

According to DeepSeek’s status page, the company began investigating the issue late Monday night Beijing time.

After about two hours of monitoring, it confirmed that the disruptions were caused by a cyber attack.

As a precautionary measure, new registrations were temporarily suspended, though normal access for existing users was maintained.

Users attempting to sign up encountered messages indicating that “registration may be busy” and were advised to wait and try again later.

However, DeepSeek has since resumed accepting new registrations.

The timing of the attack coincided with a sharp reaction in the technology stock market.

DeepSeek’s rapid rise unsettled American rivals, contributing to a downturn in AI-related stocks.

Nvidia, the leading AI chip manufacturer and the most valuable US company, saw its shares plunge by 13.6 per cent in early trading, erasing approximately $500 billion in market value.

As DeepSeek continues to gain traction in the AI space, the incident highlights both the growing competition in artificial intelligence and the cybersecurity challenges that accompany rapid digital expansion.