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India’s IT Minister Praises DeepSeek’s Low-Cost AI, Draws Parallels with IndiaAI Mission

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India’s IT minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, has praised Chinese startup DeepSeek for its groundbreaking low-cost AI assistant, highlighting the startup’s frugal approach as a model that resonates with India’s own AI ambitions. Speaking at an event in Odisha, Vaishnaw drew a comparison between the $5.5 million investment DeepSeek used to create a powerful AI model and India’s $1.25 billion commitment to the IndiaAI mission.

The IndiaAI mission, announced in March, aims to develop a robust AI ecosystem by funding startups and creating the necessary infrastructure to support AI innovation. Vaishnaw’s comments came as he pointed out the cost-effectiveness of DeepSeek’s approach, which took just two months and under $6 million to develop its AI model using Nvidia’s less-advanced H800 chips.

DeepSeek’s success has been a game-changer in the AI sector, surpassing OpenAI’s ChatGPT in downloads on Apple’s App Store. The startup’s impressive performance challenges the prevailing belief that China is far behind the U.S. in the AI race and raises questions about the high costs traditionally associated with building AI models.

Vaishnaw’s statement also appeared to counter remarks made by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during a visit to India last year. Altman had expressed skepticism about India’s ability to develop a competitive AI model on a $10 million budget, calling it “totally hopeless” to compete on training foundation models. Vaishnaw’s comments are now drawing attention, especially as Altman is set to visit India again in early February amid a legal battle with Indian digital news and book publishers over copyright issues.

 

SoftBank in Talks to Invest Up to $25 Billion in OpenAI

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SoftBank is in discussions to invest between $15 billion and $25 billion in OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT, according to a source familiar with the matter. The move is part of the Japanese conglomerate’s ongoing efforts to expand its footprint in the AI sector. Some of the investment may go towards funding OpenAI’s commitment to Stargate, a joint venture between Oracle, OpenAI, and SoftBank.

The Stargate project aims to secure up to $500 billion in investments to keep the U.S. ahead of China and other global competitors in the AI race. SoftBank has already committed $15 billion to Stargate and is exploring additional financing options for the project. The investment talks with OpenAI are still in early stages, according to the source.

Earlier reports indicated that SoftBank is considering a total investment of $40 billion into both Stargate and OpenAI, including borrowing up to $18.5 billion in financing, secured by its publicly-listed assets. The venture was unveiled at a White House event last week, attended by U.S. President Donald Trump, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison.

However, SoftBank’s stock price has taken a hit following a market selloff triggered by the rise of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup that introduced a free AI assistant developed at a fraction of the cost of its U.S. competitors. This shift has raised concerns about the sustainability of business models that rely on expensive AI technology and contributed to a decline in SoftBank’s shares, which were down 1% in morning trading on Thursday.

Despite this, SoftBank remains committed to strengthening its position in the AI sector. The company already holds a $1.5 billion stake in OpenAI, which was valued at $157 billion in its most recent funding round. SoftBank and OpenAI have yet to comment on the reported investment discussions.

 

OpenAI Chief Sam Altman Plans Visit to India Amid Legal Challenges

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Key Points:

  • Sam Altman, the chief of Microsoft-backed OpenAI, is planning his first visit to India in two years, scheduled for February 5, according to sources.
  • The visit may include meetings with Indian government officials and is aimed at strengthening OpenAI’s presence in India, which is its second-largest market by user base after the United States.
  • Altman’s 2023 visit involved discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the role of AI in India’s tech ecosystem.
  • OpenAI faces legal challenges in India, including a copyright infringement lawsuit initiated by ANI, India’s news agency, which claims OpenAI has violated copyright laws.
  • The lawsuit has attracted support from Indian book publishers and prominent media outlets. OpenAI maintains it uses publicly available data under fair use principles and disputes Indian jurisdiction over the case.
  • The legal issues come amid growing competition from DeepSeek, a Chinese AI rival that recently surpassed ChatGPT in the Apple App Store in the United States.