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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Jennifer McDermott and Matt O'Brien

DeepSeek says it built its chatbot cheap. What does that mean for AI's energy needs and the climate?

DeepSeek AI Energy Needs - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Chinese artificial intelligence startup company DeepSeek stunned markets and AI experts with its claim that it built its immensely popular chatbot at a fraction of the cost of those made by American tech titans.

That immediately called into question the billions of dollars U.S. tech companies are spending on a massive expansion of energy-hungry data centers they say are needed to unlock the next wave of artificial intelligence.

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