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How Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek may help drive innovation in countries like Russia
Its success also raises the question of how effective US tech curbs on China have been
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While Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek has drawn scrutiny in the West over national security and privacy concerns, it could be an opportunity for countries like Russia that have little access to advanced technologies.
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That is the assessment of analysts after Hangzhou-based DeepSeek surprised the world last month with the launch of an open-source reasoning model, R1, with capabilities that are comparable to OpenAI’s closed-source GPT but at significantly lower cost.
DeepSeek’s success also raises the question of how effective US tech curbs on China have been, since restrictions on advanced semiconductors and computing chips were meant to limit the nation’s hi-tech development.
Russia similarly faces significant technology and semiconductor restrictions imposed by the United States and other Western powers aimed at limiting Moscow’s access to critical technologies following its invasion of Ukraine.
You Chuanman, a senior lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences’ School of Law, said Russia had the talent but it faced sanctions on tech exports that were “much stricter” than those imposed on China.
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“It’s much worse than the Chinese situation when it comes to finance, core technologies and semiconductors,” he said.
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