Shailesh Chitnis
@shaileshchitnis.bsky.social
Business writer, The Economist. Interested in chips, pills and innovation. Recovering entrepreneur.
The last is in software: DeepSeek is pushing for a lower precision, more efficient FP8 format for its domestic chips. It creates more complexity for the software, but if done right, is an efficient workaround lower-power chips.(4/n)
October 23, 2025 at 7:40 AM
The last is in software: DeepSeek is pushing for a lower precision, more efficient FP8 format for its domestic chips. It creates more complexity for the software, but if done right, is an efficient workaround lower-power chips.(4/n)
How good is China's domestic AI chip capability? Depending on who you ask, the country is either hopelessly behind or already catching up. In the @economist.com I try to decode this. tl;dr: America’s dominance in AI chips is secure, for now. Export controls have worked. (1/n)
October 23, 2025 at 7:40 AM
How good is China's domestic AI chip capability? Depending on who you ask, the country is either hopelessly behind or already catching up. In the @economist.com I try to decode this. tl;dr: America’s dominance in AI chips is secure, for now. Export controls have worked. (1/n)
There's just a lot happening with chips these days! Some time back it would have seemed wild that the US government could become the single largest shareholder of Intel. But here we are. This week's @economist.com
tries to make sense of it. (1/n)
#semiconductors #tsmc #intel
tries to make sense of it. (1/n)
#semiconductors #tsmc #intel
August 22, 2025 at 6:40 AM
There's just a lot happening with chips these days! Some time back it would have seemed wild that the US government could become the single largest shareholder of Intel. But here we are. This week's @economist.com
tries to make sense of it. (1/n)
#semiconductors #tsmc #intel
tries to make sense of it. (1/n)
#semiconductors #tsmc #intel
Between 2017–2024, just 5% of Indian VC funding went to deep tech.
By contrast, Chinese startups poured billions into AI, EVs, and semiconductors in one year alone.
By contrast, Chinese startups poured billions into AI, EVs, and semiconductors in one year alone.
June 17, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Between 2017–2024, just 5% of Indian VC funding went to deep tech.
By contrast, Chinese startups poured billions into AI, EVs, and semiconductors in one year alone.
By contrast, Chinese startups poured billions into AI, EVs, and semiconductors in one year alone.
R&D spending tells the story:
🔴 India: 0.7% of GDP
🔴 China: 2.4%
🔴 US: 3.6%
Among the world’s 2,000 biggest R&D spenders, only 15 are Indian.
🔴 India: 0.7% of GDP
🔴 China: 2.4%
🔴 US: 3.6%
Among the world’s 2,000 biggest R&D spenders, only 15 are Indian.
June 17, 2025 at 8:54 AM
R&D spending tells the story:
🔴 India: 0.7% of GDP
🔴 China: 2.4%
🔴 US: 3.6%
Among the world’s 2,000 biggest R&D spenders, only 15 are Indian.
🔴 India: 0.7% of GDP
🔴 China: 2.4%
🔴 US: 3.6%
Among the world’s 2,000 biggest R&D spenders, only 15 are Indian.
Interesting stat from JP Morgan. Cost of making an iPhone in India is only 2% more than in China.Most of the value is in individual components that are made by other firms (chips, display) the labour intensive assembly is at par. The harder part is recreating Apple's China supply chain in India.
May 14, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Interesting stat from JP Morgan. Cost of making an iPhone in India is only 2% more than in China.Most of the value is in individual components that are made by other firms (chips, display) the labour intensive assembly is at par. The harder part is recreating Apple's China supply chain in India.
President Trump's latest order wants to set drug prices based on other countries. Seems a good idea, But In this week's @economist.com I argue that the fix proposed by Trump will not work. And it will probably leave patients worse off. (1/n)
May 14, 2025 at 5:57 AM
President Trump's latest order wants to set drug prices based on other countries. Seems a good idea, But In this week's @economist.com I argue that the fix proposed by Trump will not work. And it will probably leave patients worse off. (1/n)
As a former chip designer, this one was especially interesting to write. My latest piece for @economist.com investigates the shadow supply chains keeping China in the AI race—despite increasingly strict U.S. export controls.
May 7, 2025 at 8:41 AM
As a former chip designer, this one was especially interesting to write. My latest piece for @economist.com investigates the shadow supply chains keeping China in the AI race—despite increasingly strict U.S. export controls.
More interesting are the attempts to use a particle accelerator to generate the EUV beam. Shows the extent to which firms have to go to keep etching smaller and smaller. Some in China are looking at this as well (5/7)
March 13, 2025 at 9:18 AM
More interesting are the attempts to use a particle accelerator to generate the EUV beam. Shows the extent to which firms have to go to keep etching smaller and smaller. Some in China are looking at this as well (5/7)
This week for @economist.com I write about the future of lithography. #ASML latest machines, the high-NA EUV, are now being used by fabs (though TSMC seems to be reluctant to fully commit). But the company is already thinking of what is next - hyper NA (2/7)
March 13, 2025 at 9:18 AM
This week for @economist.com I write about the future of lithography. #ASML latest machines, the high-NA EUV, are now being used by fabs (though TSMC seems to be reluctant to fully commit). But the company is already thinking of what is next - hyper NA (2/7)
It's quite predictable to hear about China making a breakthrough in EUV every so often. But how realistic is this? tl;dr - not very. (1/7)
March 13, 2025 at 9:18 AM
It's quite predictable to hear about China making a breakthrough in EUV every so often. But how realistic is this? tl;dr - not very. (1/7)
#openai rant. For possibly the most intelligent software on the plant, the fact that it cannot choose the best model on its own is very underwhelming. The descriptions are not much help either ("best at reasoning, "uses advances reasoning", "fast at advanced reasoning"....)
February 28, 2025 at 8:50 AM
#openai rant. For possibly the most intelligent software on the plant, the fact that it cannot choose the best model on its own is very underwhelming. The descriptions are not much help either ("best at reasoning, "uses advances reasoning", "fast at advanced reasoning"....)
A lot has been said and written about China's rise in AI. Equally impressive, but much less covered, has been the country's emergence as a source of innovative medicines. My piece in this week's @economist.com (1/4)
https://buff.ly/416dYFj
https://buff.ly/416dYFj
February 18, 2025 at 7:15 AM
A lot has been said and written about China's rise in AI. Equally impressive, but much less covered, has been the country's emergence as a source of innovative medicines. My piece in this week's @economist.com (1/4)
https://buff.ly/416dYFj
https://buff.ly/416dYFj
A pretty wild chart from Blackrock on the scale of AI buildout by the biggest companies. Sensible investment or a game with only a few winners?
February 13, 2025 at 11:40 AM
A pretty wild chart from Blackrock on the scale of AI buildout by the biggest companies. Sensible investment or a game with only a few winners?
The DeepSeek sell-off has barely budged the share of top 10 companies in overall S&P.
February 6, 2025 at 10:56 AM
The DeepSeek sell-off has barely budged the share of top 10 companies in overall S&P.
Contrary to popular belief, Nokia was not asleep at the wheel when the iPhone was launched. They knew what it meant. Same with Intel, who knew that the mobile chip was a big deal. But organisational inertia and revenue from legacy products was too much to overcome.
January 22, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Contrary to popular belief, Nokia was not asleep at the wheel when the iPhone was launched. They knew what it meant. Same with Intel, who knew that the mobile chip was a big deal. But organisational inertia and revenue from legacy products was too much to overcome.
"India is not for beginners". It is hard to explain the country to someone who has never been here before. A bus I saw outside Kolkata perfectly summed up the chaos, colour and creativity that one sees all around.
January 21, 2025 at 9:09 AM
"India is not for beginners". It is hard to explain the country to someone who has never been here before. A bus I saw outside Kolkata perfectly summed up the chaos, colour and creativity that one sees all around.
In the 2010s it seemed like American tech firms would rule over consumers globally. The picture is now very different. My piece in this week's @economist.com on why America’s internet giants are being outplayed in the global south.
https://buff.ly/406VjZr
https://buff.ly/406VjZr
January 14, 2025 at 8:31 AM
In the 2010s it seemed like American tech firms would rule over consumers globally. The picture is now very different. My piece in this week's @economist.com on why America’s internet giants are being outplayed in the global south.
https://buff.ly/406VjZr
https://buff.ly/406VjZr
Outperformance of American equity markets is still predicated on selling overseas. Interesting chart from Apollo.
January 13, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Outperformance of American equity markets is still predicated on selling overseas. Interesting chart from Apollo.
Will 2025 be the year when software gets back to outperforming semis? Interesting chart from Morgan Stanley
January 10, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Will 2025 be the year when software gets back to outperforming semis? Interesting chart from Morgan Stanley
Our diet is not just about what we eat. That is what makes finding causal links between food and health outcomes so hard. I looked at the science of ultra-processed foods and came away more convinced than skeptical .
https://buff.ly/3CNe8Ja
https://buff.ly/3CNe8Ja
December 2, 2024 at 6:29 PM
Our diet is not just about what we eat. That is what makes finding causal links between food and health outcomes so hard. I looked at the science of ultra-processed foods and came away more convinced than skeptical .
https://buff.ly/3CNe8Ja
https://buff.ly/3CNe8Ja
Last week we saw American prosecutors charge an Indian company for corruption in India. It would have been great if they shown some of that zeal to get Dow/Union Carbide to appear before an Indian court.
https://buff.ly/3D64gtS
https://buff.ly/3D64gtS
December 2, 2024 at 11:25 AM
Last week we saw American prosecutors charge an Indian company for corruption in India. It would have been great if they shown some of that zeal to get Dow/Union Carbide to appear before an Indian court.
https://buff.ly/3D64gtS
https://buff.ly/3D64gtS
Cost of AI inferencing across models via Qualcomm
November 26, 2024 at 4:39 PM
Cost of AI inferencing across models via Qualcomm
Interesting how both LATM and India have consumption patterns of high income to poor within them. Partly explains why American consumer tech has not been as successful in these markets.
November 21, 2024 at 12:55 PM
Interesting how both LATM and India have consumption patterns of high income to poor within them. Partly explains why American consumer tech has not been as successful in these markets.