shortage

DeepSeek CEO explains how he has transformed the chip shortage into his strategic alibi

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One of the many battles that China and the United States are fighting is technological, specifically one related to artificial intelligence. US business spending on AI It’s astronomicalbut in China the ambition is no less and the Government wants it to be one of the pillars for the country to be the first world power in the short term. One of the conversations surrounding Chinese AI compared to American AI has to do with efficiency. Very capable models, higher in some cases to the Americans, but with a much lower price and, above all, trained in record time. There are controversies about it, such as theft accusations by giants like Anthropic and OpenAI, but the reality is that if you don’t want to use the AI ​​of an American company, they are there alternatives like DeepSeekKimi or those from Zhipu AI. But, speaking of Deepseek, the company’s CEO is clear that there is a Huge difference between Chinese AI Big Tech and American counterparts: computing capacity. He gives a fact to illustrate it: four Huawei chips are equivalent to one from Nvidia, and that opens the door for the US to have even more arguments to continue putting pressure on the Chinese technology industry. The bottleneck is power, nothing more Liang Wenfeng He is the CEO of DeepSeek and, like so many in his position in recent weeks, he has had the presentation before investors. These types of events are very interesting because they allow us to learn more about both the companies and their plans, and in this case it has been revealing to listen to the head of one of the most relevant AI companies today. They are not official statements, since they are the leak of the almost four-hour meeting published by Tencent Tech, but among its many phrases, we can extract very interesting ideas. The first is what we mentioned: for the boss, the main gap is money and resources. “There is no gap in personnel, since it is basically the same group of people. Talent is not the bottleneck: resources are the biggest bottleneck,” says Liang. The CEO continued to point out evidence, stating that “more cards are always better” and that, at a reasonable price, they buy as many as they can because “converting money into Nvidia cards is definitely better than leaving that money in the bank.” And the Nvidia cards stand out for a fact that is also very interesting: how many Huawei cards are equivalent to one Nvidia card. “Our price offers a reasonable profit: we buy a batch of equipment and they pay for themselves in about ten months” – Liang Wenfeng Assures that the relationship is four to one, or what is the same: if they wanted to train a model with 800,000 million active parameters like the main American AI models, they would need 50,000 Nvidia GB300 cards or 200,000 Huawei 950 cards. That It doesn’t seem to leave Huawei in a very good place.which are those that the Chinese industry and the Government itself is trying to promotebut Liang affirms that Nvidia is digging its own grave in the Chinese market, that the CUDA ecosystem is eroding quickly and that Huawei supernode 950 It can completely replace Nvidia’s GB200 and GB300 in both performance and price. Although the 4:1 ratio between the chips seems alarming for the domestic company, Liang did not specify the workload or whether it measures raw performance, training performance or inference. The US looks closely One detail that Liang points out is that this computing power gap will end up closing as Huawei launches solutions and that, although he does not dare to guess when it will happen, it is something that will end up arriving. But of course, when the competition between the US and China is, in part, in that power of AI, the United States is not in the least interested in closing the gap. In recent months we have seen how pressure has continued to prevent Chinese companies from accessing Western hardware that is key to the development of the semiconductor industry. ASML Extreme Lithography Machines are an exampleand more recently the White House accused Chinese startup Moonshot AI from acquiring servers equipped with Nvidia chips that they should not be able to access. The case of Moonshot AI has been quite popular because a few days ago we told you about that amazing Kimi K3 model that, according to the Americans, would have been trained in Thailand with Nvidia GB300 chips to avoid United States export regulations. And they go further, arguing that Kimi K3 had ‘drunk‘the model Anthropic Fable. Deepseek Strategy Beyond politics, and returning to Liang, although right now it seems that China is not on par in terms of computing power, DeepSeek has a long-term strategy that has less to do with having the most powerful model currently. As we read in SCMPLiang commented that they are setting prices “to make only a reasonable profit, not to maximize revenue.” And that is the key that the company apparently pursues, since they are keeping prices low for users with the aim of their service being increasingly used in the hope of increasing the possibility of achieving artificial general intelligence. So while other companies prioritize immediate profits and capturing market share, Liang is focusing on “increasing the probability of achieving AGI“because it will be that AI that will have great commercial value. And that is what they do seek to exploit. In Xataka | While most oppose AI data centers, there is one group enthusiastic about them: merchandise thieves

The US has found the solution to its hospital staff shortage: Filipino virtual nurses

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In a hospital ICU, the staff remains attentive to the vital signs of all admitted patients, ready to act if necessary, or at least that is what we think it is. In many American hospitals, some of that work is being monitored in real time and thousands of miles away by nurses in the Philippines. Welcome to healthcare outsourcing. What is happening. They tell it in Rest of World. The United States has a deficit of almost 80,000 nurses and the way they have found to cover that lack is to outsource the service to independent contractors located in the Philippines. From there, thousands of nurses and assistants monitor patients and perform administrative tasks for a fraction of the salary they would earn if they were working in person. This is how it works. One of these virtual nurses says that he managed to monitor up to ten ICU patients at the same time, but highlights that “We did not make decisions about medical care, we only informed the staff nurses.” The virtual nurses cannot administer medication or perform procedures, but rather they are dedicated to monitoring the patients’ vital signs and notifying them if they notice anything strange or if they have forgotten to give them the medication. They also carry out other more administrative tasks such as giving discharges, filing records or making appointments. Much cheaper for the hospital. A virtual nurse is much cheaper at the hospital than an in-person one. In the United States, the average hourly wage for a registered nurse is $45, while working remotely from the Philippines is between $5 and $10 per hour. According to the Philippine Health Information Management Association (HIMAPfor its acronym in English) hospitals that outsource this service can save up to 70% in personnel costs. In addition to saving, a Mount Sinai Hospital study concluded that integrating this remote service benefits staff nurses, who perceived “a reduction in administrative burden, uninterrupted completion of clinical tasks, and the feeling that their overtime hours had been reduced.” And more profitable for the worker. The other side of the coin is that, in the Philippines, it is more profitable for a worker to be a virtual nurse than in person. They tell the story of Alice, a nurse who earned $100 a month working in a Filipino hospital and, after starting to work for a telehealth company, has quintupled her salary. HIMAP estimates that there are 210,000 Filipinos working full time for the US healthcare sector and the sector already moves $4.5 billion a year. Nursing shortage. In the US, the problem worsened after the pandemic with exhausted staff who have been leaving the profession. In addition to remote nursing, laws have also been put in place that recognize platforms that offer on-demand nursing services such as Clipboard Health or Nursa. But the shortage also affects the Philippines, which is one of the countries that has “exported” the most nurses since the 1960s. It is estimated that a quarter of immigrant nurses in the US are Filipinos. This remote format does not force them to emigrate, but it is still a way to divert work and feed domestic shortages. Why Philippines. From the Philippines they do all kinds of tasks such as control robots remotely either bring LinkedIn to Western managers. That the country has become a powerhouse in the outsourcing of services responds to several factors. The main one is that almost half of the citizens have a very good level of Englishbut it is also because they have a long history in outsourcing customer service for Western companies and there is already an entire industry created around it. And of course the economic issue: these workers are much cheaper than hiring someone in person. Image | Xataka with Magnific In Xataka | This humanoid robot promised to do our housework. For now it’s a $20,000 puppet

We believed that the US was facing a major energy shortage problem for AI. The data says the opposite

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To win the AI ​​race you need several things, but two are very important. The first, have the best technology and the best chips. The second, having enough energy to power those chips. The US has the first, but everything pointed to it having a major energy bottleneck. That is no longer so clear. China has plenty of energy. The China’s strategic visionwhich once again has been investing in the energy field for decades, is bearing fruit and the country has considerable room for maneuver in terms of energy supply. That is a factor that seems to tip the balance in its favor: Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, already warned that China can win the AI ​​race. According to him, China has more flexible regulation and its companies have government subsidies for the energy their data centers need. But the US has another philosophy. A deep study from the startup Epoch AI—responsible for FrontierMath AI benchmark— serves as a counterpoint to these pessimistic theories. In recent months we have seen how the US seems to have a real problem with the energy needed for AI data centers. China has not stopped increasing its energy generation capacity, but the US has not for a simple reason: until now it did not need it. Source: Epoch AI. However, Epoch AI explains that it is not that the US is not capable of creating more energy capacity: it simply has not needed it until now. While China has prepared for the future—even if that future does not come—the US has maintained a more conservative attitude: as long as there was no demand, it would not make any move. The immediate question, of course, is whether you can move it now or is it too late? And no, it doesn’t seem like it is. Forecast of necessary energy capacity for data centers in the US until 2030 according to different scenarios. In the worst of all of them (pink color), almost 80 GW of capacity will be needed. Source: Epoch AI. The demand is going to be huge. There is a reality: those ambitious plans to create more and more data centers throughout the US —with Project Stargate at the forefront—will cause data centers in the country to need between 30 and 80 GW of energy capacity in 2030. For those responsible for the study, it is perfectly possible that the US “gets its act together” – pun intended – and manages to increase its energy capacity. As? Various options. The US has room for maneuver. In order to supply all that energy that all those data centers will theoretically need, there are several clear alternatives according to the Epoch AI study: Natural gas: is relatively cheap and plants can be built quickly. There are three large companies that can cover this demand: GE Verona, Mitsubishi Heavy and Siemens. The plans of all of them point to a production of more than 200 GW in 2030. Even if they are not met, this supply (without being totally dedicated to AI) would already be an important part of the solution. Solar energy: the other big part of the solution, especially because its costs have fallen drastically and because it is very, very scalable. We have already seen how the US has the capacity to install 1,200 GW solar for IA thanks to its deserts, but at the moment Big Tech does not dare to use them. Once again, estimates point to around 200 GW of installed capacity in 2030, but even if these expectations are not met, this infrastructure will also be a clear part of the solution. Energy flexibility. The report also talks about a dynamic supply philosophy. Most of the time the US power grid is oversized for one simple reason: It is built to be able to supply power at peak peaks—like when everyone turns on the air conditioning—but most of the time there is plenty of power even to give to large AI data centers. This future infrastructure must be created with that same idea: oversized, but flexible. And there are other alternatives. The country is turning to energy solutions that it thought were buried to power data centers. Among them are the fossil plants that were theoretically going to close but that are returning to operation due to the astonishing increase in demand. There is also talk of going to military solutions and even more unusual alternatives, such as energy under volcanoes. Not to mention, of course, the nuclear power plants and the small nuclear reactors (SMR) that are already being used by some of the Big Tech for your data centers. Be careful with your electricity bill. The reality is that in the North American country data centers are growing faster than electrical infrastructure, and these facilities They are draining the country’s electricity. The situation is even causing electricity grid operators to ask be able to shut down data centers in times of high demand. And then there’s the other big side effect: AI data centers they are skyrocketing the electricity bill. When starting up an AI data center, power costs a tenth of what chips cost. Source: Epoch AI. There doesn’t seem to be a problem. Even with all those obstacles, Epoch AI’s conclusion is clear: “we doubt these challenges are significant enough to impede the scaling of AI.” In fact, they remember that what is actually expensive are the chips, not the energy, which represents a tenth of the investment in chips. The report concludes that China having an advantage is not necessarily true, and that the hypothetical US energy bottleneck “is much weaker than many people have indicated.” Image | Andrey Metelev In Xataka | Artificial intelligence has already reached nuclear power plants. And it’s going to change them forever

There is an acute shortage of housing supply in Spain. So the convents of Toledo have seen an opportunity

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Toledo has had an idea to reinforce the meager housing supply in its historic center. In the city there is the curious contradiction that there is demand for flats for rent while around 150 buildings of the monumental area (both public and private) remain closed and without tenants, so… Why not solve both problems at once? With that philosophy as a backdrop, two convents in Toledo are preparing to become landlords and allocate part of their buildings to rent. The historic center sees its housing offer expand (although still timidly) and in the process the religious orders obtain a new source of income. Quite a ‘win-win’. What has happened? That in Toledo they want to kill several birds with one stone. For some time now, its historic center has faced three challenges that, although at first glance they seem to have little to do with each other, are directly related. The first is the shortage of residential rentals. In Idealista, just over a few are announced right now. 50 apartments for lease and many of them do so as seasonal rentals. For long stays the offer is only 33. The second challenge is represented by abandoned buildings. Last year, the Consortium of the City of Toledo did the math and found that in that same area of ​​the Castilian-La Mancha capital, 150 buildings unused, some in ruins. The third challenge is not so much the city itself but the religious orders that live there: How to achieve income in the 21st century? Where to get money to pay bills or unforeseen events such as repairing the roof of the Discalced Carmelites convent, sunk during a DANA in 2023? Connecting the dots. The Toledo Consortium has come to the conclusion that these three challenges can be connected and has had an idea: to renovate wasted spaces in convents in the city to convert them into homes. And not just any type of housing. Their objective is to move them to the long-term rental market, the one that has the most difficulties in the historic center and more pressured It is seen through tourism. For that purpose, in November The organization gave the green light to the tender for the renovation of two properties: one located in the convent of the Discalced Carmelites and the other in the Immaculate Conception (Nasturtiums). Between them there will be four homes. “New opportunities”. The objective, explains the manager of the Consortium, Jesús Corroto, is to advance in the recovery of the disused heritage of the historic center and in the process generate “new residential opportunities”, especially for young people. The idea is to rehabilitate a building attached to the Discalced Carmelites convent with 131,000 euros to provide it with two new homes with a total constructed area of ​​130 m2. Investments will be made in the Capuchinas property. 130,000 euros to open two new residences in what was once the Priestly House, built at the end of the 16th century. In any case, the organization wants to go further and not stay in those four apartments. The SER chain indicates that it aspires to enable at least a dozen of housing and has already transferred more proposals to other convents. Whether they go ahead or not will basically depend on the budget and what the religious decide. After all, the buildings are private, non-segregable and considered BIC. The initiative would allow the creation between 20 and 30 housesto which other services can be added, such as parking. “Rental ethics”. In the case of the new homes set up in convents, a peculiar circumstance will occur: the Consortium is in charge of the works, but unlike what happens with other accommodation promoted by the Municipal Housing Company, its price will not be limited by a maximum limit. Since these are private properties, it is the religious who must decide what rents they charge to their future tenants, although Corroto already advances in The Country that a “rental ethic” will govern. What the organization he directs has done is put an inflexible condition on the friars and monks of Toledo: the new homes must be dedicated to residential rentals, not become tourist apartments, a business that has already attracted other religious of Spain who have seen the need to take advantage of their buildings. In Seville, for example, not long ago some cloistered nuns agreed to offer a part of their convent to tourists through Airbnb. The reason: selling candy is no longer enough to pay bills. Between 37 and 60 m2. In the case of Toledo, the objective is for the new homes to be available in about a year. To make it possible, the religious orders will assume part of the works and furniture. Once the project is completed, the city will have new apartments with a useful area of between 37 and 60 m2. The residences will have to comply with the regulations that govern the Historic Center of Toledo and will have between one and two rooms. Images | Suraya_M (Flickr) and Wikipedia (Antonio Velez) In Xataka | Toledo has had enough of the mass tourism that saturates the city center. His plan to change it: China

Drought and mass tourism have aggravated the shortage of water in the Balearic Islands. Now it is going to entrust the desaliners

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Throughout the month of March Let’s have a storm characterized by many rains. However, when this temporary pass will come the good weather and return The drought again. Given this situation, the Balearic Islands, one of the communities most affected by water scarcityThey are looking to get ahead. The projects. The seafore and water cycle. has announced The construction of three desalination plants in Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza. The installation will have an initial budget of 3.5 million euros and are expected to be operational within five years, supplying more than 60,000 inhabitants. A serious problem. Currently, reservoirs on the islands are 51% of its capacity, showing the water problem despite the recent rains. For that reason, from the Ministry They have pointed out That these new desalination makers are to guarantee the medium and long term water supply, regardless of the weather conditions. However, this is not all, because there are other concerns, such as overexploitation of aquifers that It has generated problems With the introduction of salts. In addition, the archipelago receives a large amount of tourism every summer, which triggers demand and Test The supply capacity. Future desalination. The Balearic Government has planned the construction of desalists financed through the STI 24-25 call, with the aim of improving the water supply in the region. In Mallorca, the Rostent area will be prioritized, especially the strip between Ses Salines and Artà, as well as the municipalities of the PLA. In Menorca and Ibiza, areas with the highest water deficit will be served. The project will take place in several phases with the construction in 2027 and the commissioning of the facilities in 2030. But they already have others … that’s how, in the Balearic Islands There are desalination plants They help meet the growing demand for water. Currently, ABAQUA manages a supply and desalination infrastructure network that includes several plants, such as Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza. To give an example, the three existing desalination plants in Ibiza operate at 75 % of their capacity throughout the year, and They reach 110 % peaks In more than five months, which shows the overload of the supply system. Inconveniences. Although desalination plants have become an alternative for water use, they have a series of problem. On the one hand, they need high energy consumption, so would imply an increase in the price of water In the long term. On the other hand, these facilities They can have brinea residue with high salt concentration that can damage marine ecosystems. So the Balearic Islands will have to continue trusting technologies such as desalination plants, which despite the aforementioned problems, offer a response to the growing demand for water. However, they can bet on the implementation of long -term measures such as Wastewater reuse or Other methods within desalination. Image | Pexels Xataka | Barcelona is about to live something unpublished for 50 months and that until recently we thought it impossible: the end of drought

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