Compute and models are becoming political assets

China published its first frontier AI export controls (MOFCOM Announcement No. 48). Commenters say they largely match earlier guidance: restrictions on top models with an exemption for open-source collaboration. One notes the irony that Chinese models gained popularity precisely because they are open. A satirical post, 'Sam Altman: All the RAM Should Belong to Me, So I Can Charge People to Use It', points at fear of memory and compute being hoarded.

OccupySaaS, a protest-style idea against SaaS pricing, got a lukewarm reception. One reaction called it Big Tech's 'we demand you use AI, not like that' moment, and another doubted anyone could keep a coalition aligned.

The common thread is that access to models and hardware is turning into leverage: states can restrict it, the biggest labs can hoard it, and customers complain but have few exits. Local models are the obvious hedge, which is why the local-coding thread matters here too.