The AI landscape shifted dramatically this week with DeepSeek’s latest model outperforming industry giants at a fraction of the cost. This development has sent ripples through the tech community, challenging the established narrative that only well-funded corporations can lead AI innovation.

Taking a close look at the benchmarks, DeepSeek’s performance is remarkable. Not only does it match or exceed many capabilities of premium models, but it does so while being substantially more cost-effective. The pricing difference is staggering - we’re talking about orders of magnitude cheaper than some competitors.

Remember when we used to joke about not knowing what goes into our hot dogs? Well, it turns out we’re equally clueless about what goes into our electronics. Recent revelations about US companies being in the dark about their chip sources have got me thinking about the broader implications for our digital security.

The situation is both amusing and terrifying. Here we are, living in an age where we’re increasingly dependent on technology, yet half of US companies don’t even know where their chips come from. That’s like driving a car without knowing if the brakes were installed by a certified mechanic or your neighbour’s teenager.