$5M Seed Round Can't Afford One DeepSeek Training Run: GPU-less AI Startup's Three Paths
FinanceYF5 · x · 2026-10-26
A Chinese video program relays Silicon Valley author Alan Walker's argument that in 2026, GPUs are the means of production for AI startups — a typical $5M seed round can't even fund one DeepSeek training run. He frames five questions (economics, renting compute, what compute-rich players are doing, who pays the cost, remaining paths) and concludes there are only three routes: own your GPUs, get picked by those who have them, or go small-but-hard.
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