Tether CEO warns AI giants' computing power subsidy model: Multiple cycles of mismatch continue to accumulate industry risks.
Related
David Sacks strongly supports Palantir CEO's criticism of AI labs: True enterprise AI security lies in controlling one's own data, models, and computing power.
According to Beating, David Sacks, co-chair of the U.S. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, published an article supporting Palantir CEO Alex Karp's sharp criticism of cutting-edge AI labs, stating that the mainstream media's portrayal of his interview as a "disastrous outburst" precisely demonstrates that Karp hit the nail on the head. Sacks points out that true "AI security" in a corporate environment is not abstract "alignment research" or government-led certification systems, but rather the ability to control one's own data, model weights, and computing power—preventing cutting-edge labs from "absorbing" a company's proprietary knowledge and turning it into the next product. He quotes Karp as saying, "They want to own their means of production, not hand them over to others." Sacks cites the conflict between Figma and Anthropic as a prime example: three days before the release of Claude Design, Anthropic's Chief Product Officer was still a member of Figma's board of directors, and Figma's founder stated that Anthropic "hadn't always been honest with them"; subsequently, Figma's stock price plummeted while Anthropic's valuation soared. He further listed products such as Claude Science, Claude Security, Claude Legal, and Claude Code, pointing out that Anthropic consistently targets vertical sectors originally served by companies that relied on its models, following a consistent pattern: "Observe where value is created first, then jump in." Sacks believes that the perception of open-source models as "dangerous" is not true for companies—retaining choice at the model layer and deciding who can use their core strengths is the real bottom line for corporate security. Previously, Palantir partnered with NVIDIA to deploy Nemotron's open AI models in sovereign environments, serving the US government and critical infrastructure customers, helping organizations train and deploy AI locally while maintaining complete control over data and intellectual property. Palanitir CEO Alex Karp recently gave a scathing interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box," criticizing leading AI model companies as "completely wrong" in their approach to selling AI. Karp emphasized that companies are currently dissatisfied with "cutting-edge labs" like OpenAI and Anthropic, believing they only pursue token maximization, wasting companies' time and money while handing over proprietary value and intellectual property. Karp stated that companies are "angry" and will strive to own their own AI production resources rather than relying on third parties. On June 29th, Palantir partnered with Nvidia to deploy Nvidia Nemotron open AI models in a sovereign environment, primarily serving the US government and critical infrastructure.
Zuckerberg signals the commercialization of computing power, suggesting that Meta infrastructure may enter a dual-track model of "self-use + external leasing".
According to BlockBeats, on July 1st, Bloomberg reported that Mark Zuckerberg stated in a May shareholder call, "Almost every week, different companies come to us, either wanting us to build an API service or asking if we have computing power to sell to them, at a higher price than we paid. We haven't done that yet because we have our own need for that computing power," Zuckerberg said at the time. "But obviously, if we realize we've overbuilt, then that's an option, which partly gives us the confidence to invest in scaling up." In the rapidly evolving AI race, Zuckerberg has repeatedly stated that he believes the entire industry is facing a bottleneck in computing power, and that Meta should accumulate as much computing power as possible before deciding how to use it. Despite facing numerous complex challenges, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has signaled to investors that he is willing to sell excess computing infrastructure and even launch so-called API services, allowing customers to pay based on AI usage—a business typically measured in "tokens" (i.e., the amount of data generated and consumed when a customer queries). Discussions surrounding Meta Platforms' potential commercialization of some of its AI computing power have raised concerns about a potential "oversupply" of computing power. However, analysts argue that this assessment is oversimplified. Meta currently does not have any significant surplus computing power available for sale. On one hand, it continues to expand its investment in AI infrastructure and has signed large-scale computing power agreements with companies like Crusoe. On the other hand, its existing H100/H200 resources are primarily used for internal recommendation systems and AI model training, and demand remains tight. Therefore, the so-called "selling computing power" is more of a future option for asset utilization than a current reality. Overall, it reflects a shift in AI computing power from a single scarcity to a multi-generational, tiered use and long-term capacity planning phase.
AI giants like OpenAI and Anthropic are offering startups large amounts of free computing power in an effort to seize market share.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal on July 7th, as reported by Mars Finance, AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic are offering substantial free computing power and discounts to startups to compete for enterprise customers. The report states that Silicon Valley startup founders are receiving computing credits, token usage limits, and auction-style discounts from AI model companies. Some early-stage companies have received over $3 million in cloud computing and token credits, approaching the median of seed funding in the US according to PitchBook. AI companies hope to acquire customers in the early stages of startups, making their tools an integral part of their business as these companies grow. Cursor offered a 75% discount until July 5th; Google Cloud offered up to $500,000 in cloud computing credits to some startups, along with early access to the Gemini model and, in some cases, support from DeepMind engineers. Microsoft and Amazon Web Services also offer special privileges to startups. OpenAI and Anthropic have recently been particularly focused on Y Combinator startups. In May, Sam Altman announced that OpenAI would offer $2 million in tokens to each startup participating in its accelerator program in exchange for equity. Around the same time, Anthropic increased its free token allocation to Y Combinator startups from $30,000 to $500,000, without requiring equity. OpenAI subsequently adjusted its offer, providing startups with $500,000 in free tokens, without requiring equity, and offering the option to exchange equity for an additional $1.5 million in tokens. These offers reflect the fierce competition among model providers for future large clients. Y Combinator runs four cohorts annually, with recent cohorts featuring approximately 200 companies each, meaning that OpenAI and Anthropic could potentially offer a combined $800 million in AI tokens over the next year. Christopher Acker, co-founder of SuperPenguin, stated, "The AI world is being driven by OpenAI and Anthropic because they are giving startups money to pay for usage costs."
The National Development and Reform Commission disclosed five key work plans for the artificial intelligence industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, emphasizing the strengthening of key technologies such as models, computing power, and data.
According to Mars Finance, at a press conference held by the Shanghai Municipal Government on July 7, Wang Ruomeng, Deputy Director of the Innovation and High-Tech Development Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, disclosed the working plan for my country's artificial intelligence industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period: First, accelerate independent innovation. Strengthen research on key technologies such as models, computing power, and data; increase basic research; generate more original achievements; and contribute Chinese wisdom to the global development of artificial intelligence. Second, strengthen application-driven development. Focus on areas with significant economic contributions, high strategic value, and good social benefits; open up a number of high-value scenarios; and create a number of benchmark applications. At the same time, pay attention to the impact of artificial intelligence on employment, promote the creation of new jobs and empowerment of traditional jobs through artificial intelligence, and prioritize its application in "dangerous, dirty, tiring, and heavy" scenarios. Third, deepen ecological collaboration. Continuously promote deep adaptation of software and hardware, common prosperity of open and closed sources, integration of industry, academia, research, and application, and differentiated regional development to significantly improve the efficiency of ecological collaboration. Fourth, adhere to openness and win-win cooperation. Extensively carry out international cooperation in artificial intelligence, promote open-source and inclusive technology, support the Global South in strengthening artificial intelligence capacity building, and actively participate in international governance in the field of artificial intelligence. Fifth, ensure safety and controllability. We must coordinate development and security, accelerate legislation in the field of artificial intelligence, improve the system of rules and regulations, prevent risks such as data misuse, deepfakes, and privacy breaches, and ensure that the development of artificial intelligence is for human use and under human control. (Cailian Press)
SemiAnalysis: Meta will accelerate, rather than slow down, its computing power procurement; it is in talks with Anthropic to build its own AI model service platform.
According to BlockBeats, on July 3rd, SemiAnalysis stated in its latest report that after news broke that Meta might become a new Neocloud, the market's initial reaction was to sell off computing power cloud companies like CoreWeave and Nebius, and to renewed concerns about "AI computing power oversupply." However, the firm's assessment is the opposite: this concern may be wrong. Meta's data center and computing power procurement will not slow down, but rather continue to accelerate. The article mentions that in the first half of this year alone, Meta has already signed contracts for over 5GW of capacity in the cloud services and managed data center sectors, and this does not include its accelerating self-built projects. SemiAnalysis states that Meta is in final negotiations with Anthropic, hoping to obtain access to Claude private instances. If this comes to fruition, the significance goes beyond "Meta buying more computing power"; it suggests that Meta may be building its own AI model service platform. This model is somewhat similar to AWS's Bedrock, Microsoft's Foundry, and Google's Vertex. Meta can initially use Claude internally, or it can package the model capabilities as a token-as-a-service to provide services externally in the future. In the short term, it might use its own models externally and Anthropic models internally; in the long term, Meta might even incorporate Anthropic and OpenAI models into its external service system. SemiAnalysis states that the underlying logic is that Meta has computing power, advertisers, social network distribution capabilities, and consumer-end entry points. If it can combine cutting-edge models, intelligent agents, and sales and marketing SaaS, it will not just be a company that buys GPUs, but will be moving towards the upper layers of AI application and model distribution.
Yunnan: Jointly exploring the value of green electricity and promoting a new model of coordinated development of "green electricity + computing power"
According to Mars Finance, the Yunnan Provincial Communications Administration and the Yunnan Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology jointly held a symposium to promote key tasks for the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The two departments will jointly plan key tasks for implementing the major decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee in Yunnan, and establish a regular collaborative working mechanism; jointly promote the construction and application of the Kunming International Communications Business Gateway, and explore new paths for overseas expansion; jointly study how to leverage Yunnan's rare and precious metal resources and geographical advantages to promote the development of related industries; jointly explore the value of green electricity and promote a new model of coordinated development of "green electricity + computing power"; and jointly create an easy-to-understand, inclusive platform for enterprise digital transformation, providing digital diagnostic and assessment tools to "diagnose" enterprises and strive to achieve "one policy per enterprise" digital transformation. (Cailian Press)