Running AI on a CPU: Because Waiting 14 Minutes Builds Character - (Episode 173)

Running AI on a CPU: Because Waiting 14 Minutes Builds Character - (Episode 173)

From That IT show by thatitshow

May 28, 2026 · 36 min · Season 3 · Episode 21

About this episode

The episode discusses the experience and implications of running AI models on CPUs instead of GPUs, highlighting the challenges and philosophical questions that arise from the process.

Today’s episode is dedicated to one of the greatest technological achievements of the modern era: running an AI model on a CPU because GPUs now cost approximately the same as a midsize apartment in Zagreb. We discuss the breathtaking experience of waiting 14 minutes for a response that confidently explains facts that never existed, cites imaginary research papers, and occasionally forgets what year it is. Naturally, this leads us into the philosophical debate of whether an AI that takes half an hour to answer is actually “thinking” or just emotionally processing its own poor life choices. From thermal throttling and swap-file abuse to hallucinations so convincing they deserve political office, this episode is a beautiful monument to patience, bad decisions, and the unstoppable human urge to run enterprise AI on hardware rescued from a student lab.

Topics covered

  • AI
  • CPU
  • GPU
  • technology
  • philosophy
  • patience
  • enterprise AI

Keywords

  • AI model
  • CPU
  • GPU
  • thermal throttling
  • hallucinations
  • enterprise AI
  • waiting time
  • technology debate

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Zagreb

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