In the years since ChatGPT’s debut, the world of artificial intelligence development has been defined by a single obsession: scale. Companies have raced to build ever-larger models, train on datasets of unimaginable size, and spend billions on the infrastructure required to sustain this rapid growth. The logic has been simple: bigger is better.
The pursuit of scale has inflated the industry, driving massive valuations. Nvidia – the shovel and picks provider of this new age – rose to a trillion-dollar valuation fuelled by its GPUs being indispensable for AI development. Over the weekend, Meta announced plans for a data centre spanning half the size of Manhattan, further reinforcing the industry’s commitment to infrastructure-heavy strategies.
The emergence of DeepSeek signals that the AI race is entering a new phase
Last week, this mindset was epitomised by the announcement of the Stargate Project, a $500 billion (£400 billion) initiative to build the world’s largest AI infrastructure in Texas.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in