U.S. technology shares dropped sharply on Monday as surging interest in Chinese startup DeepSeek's low-cost artificial intelligence model raised doubts about the sector's lofty valuations. The tumble in global equities prompted a widespread flight to safety,

Stiffer competition for the tech giants at the forefront of the artificial intelligence boom prompted investors to reassess the companies’ sky-high valuations.

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup that’s just over a year old, has stirred awe and consternation in Silicon Valley after demonstrating breakthrough artificial intelligence models that offer comparable performance to the world’s best chatbots at seemingly a fraction of the cost.