Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed on Wednesday (29/1) that the company will not slow down its AI investments, despite the recent breakthrough by DeepSeek, an AI lab based in Hangzhou, China. DeepSeek’s R1 large language model has sparked a significant reaction in the technology markets, especially after claiming that its development cost only $6 million and took just two months to complete.

While DeepSeek’s model has raised questions about the future of AI development, including the need for expensive infrastructure, Zuckerberg remains confident that Meta’s commitment to substantial capital expenditures (CapEx) and infrastructure will continue to provide a strategic advantage. In a statement, Zuckerberg said, "Investing very heavily in CapEx and infra is going to be a strategic advantage over time."

The emergence of DeepSeek’s model, which has reportedly demonstrated that cutting-edge AI can be developed with fewer resources, led to a sharp decline in Nvidia’s shares earlier this week. This development has triggered speculation that companies, including Meta, may soon require fewer resources to train AI models. However, Zuckerberg pointed out that it is still too early to understand the full implications of this breakthrough. "There are a bunch of trends that are happening here at once," he noted.

Meta's ongoing investments in AI include plans to allocate between $60 billion and $65 billion in the coming year. Despite the potential cost-efficiency brought about by DeepSeek's model, Meta is committed to building out its own AI infrastructure, a move that Zuckerberg believes will continue to benefit the company in the long run.

DeepSeek’s model has already impacted the stock market as investors reacted to the news of its low-cost, high-performance AI. However, Meta’s approach remains focused on scalability and long-term growth, with Zuckerberg emphasizing the need for powerful server infrastructure to handle the demands of an AI-driven future. Meta, which has over 3.35 billion daily active users, will continue to require substantial computing resources to support its AI operations.

As Meta works to integrate advances like those from DeepSeek into its own AI systems, Zuckerberg reaffirmed the company’s commitment to an open-source AI approach. He stated, “There’s going to be an open-source standard globally,” adding that for the national advantage of the United States, an American-led standard is essential.

Meta's focus on developing cutting-edge AI technologies and infrastructure underscores its belief in the long-term value of these investments. Zuckerberg remains firm in his belief that heavy investment in CapEx and infrastructure will be a key differentiator as the company navigates the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

SOURCE: CNBC | PHOTO: REUTERS

This article was created with AI assistance.