(Reuters) - Microsoft ( MSFT )-backed artificial intelligence (AI) bellwether OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Gov, a tailored version of ChatGPT designed for U.S. government agencies, it said in a blog post on Tuesday.

OpenAI said the agencies can deploy ChatGPT Gov in their own Microsoft Azure commercial cloud, and will have access to many of the features and capabilities of ChatGPT Enterprise, including custom GPTs.

The launch comes hours after CEO Sam Altman said in a post on X that the company will "pull up some releases", making his first public statement after the low-cost Chinese AI startup DeepSeek jolted AI-linked stocks on Monday.

DeepSeek - referred by Altman as its "new competitor" - shook up the AI landscape after its free AI assistant overtook ChatGPT in downloads from Apple's ( AAPL ) App store.

The model's popularity has made investors in U.S. tech giants tighten the scrutiny of billions of dollars pledged to scale AI operations.