Can Your Laptop Handle DeepSeek, or Do You Need A Supercomputer?

The Neuron: AI Explained

In Ep 3 we explore DeepSeek's open-source R-series models that claim GPT-4-level performance at a fraction of the cost. We unpack whether you can realistically run DeepSeek on a laptop, where it beats (and lags) OpenAI, and the serious security implications of using Chinese AI services. Listeners will learn the economics, hardware realities, and safe alternatives for using these powerful open-source models.

How to pick the best AI for what you actually need:

https://www.theneuron.ai/newsletter/how-to-pick-the-best-ai-model-for-what-you-actually-need

Artificial Analysis to compare top AI models:

https://artificialanalysis.ai/

Previous coverage of DeepSeek:

https://www.theneuron.ai/newsletter/deepseek-returns

https://www.theneuron.ai/newsletter/10-wild-deepseek-demos

https://www.theneuron.ai/explainer-articles/deepseek-r2-could-crush-ai-economics-with-97-lower-costs-than-gpt-4

U.S. Military allegations against DeepSeek:

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/deepseek-aids-chinas-military-evaded-export-controls-us-official-says-2025-06-23/

ChatGPT data privacy concerns:

https://www.theneuron.ai/explainer-articles/your-chatgpt-logs-are-no-longer-private-and-everyones-freaking-out

OpenAI’s response to NYT lawsuit demands:

https://openai.com/index/response-to-nyt-data-demands/

How to run Open source models:

Go to Hugging Face for the models: https://huggingface.co/

Use Ollama or LM Studio (our recommendation) to run the model locally:

https://ollama.com/

https://lmstudio.ai/