2025

DeepSeek R1

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI lab, releases R1 — an open-source reasoning model that matches or exceeds proprietary Western models at a fraction of the cost. Trained with novel reinforcement learning techniques, it demonstrates that frontier AI capability is no longer the exclusive domain of well-funded Silicon Valley labs. The geopolitical implications are immediate: the assumption that export controls and compute restrictions can contain AI capability is shattered. Open-source AI becomes not just viable but competitive at the highest level.