The events of this past week around DeepSeek disprove that large language models depend on high-end hardware, and this is where Indian startups could find a ray of hope, particularly given the ongoing geopolitical battle for AI and language models.
A lot of the hype around the Chinese competitor for ChatGPT and OpenAI comes from the fact that it has managed to surpass existing closed source models without relying on high-performance GPUs.
DeepSeek’s usage of just 2,000 Nvidia H800 GPUs compared to OpenAI’s model which relies on 100,000 GPUs of a superior variety
But the big question for Indian startups and tech companies is whether DeepSeek can lay the foundation for an India-specific large language model.
Under the guidelines, India can import up to 1,700 NVIDIA H100 GPUs without needing any license and for non-sensitive purposes.
Data centre businesses and countries that require massive computing power, though, will have to procure a Validated End User (VEU) approval from the US.
Under the IndiaAI mission, the Indian government planned to procure 10,000 GPUs, and has received bids from manufacturers for 20,000 GPU imports into India.
There are several questions and counter questions about the scalability of Deepseek. Do also be prepared for a series of acrimonious allegations and counter allegations, including cyber hacking to thwart new developments.
Meanwhile, at least for now, it is China’s and Deepseek’s moment of glory
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