华尔街见闻·2025-11-19 23:45Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the debate surrounding the economic lifespan of GPUs, which is crucial for understanding the profitability of major tech companies and the validity of current AI valuations. Bernstein's report suggests a depreciation period of 6 years for GPUs, arguing that this is economically reasonable, while critics like Michael Burry claim the actual lifespan is only 2-3 years, warning of potential accounting manipulation to inflate profits [1][11]. Group 1: Economic Viability of GPU Depreciation - Bernstein analysts argue that a 6-year depreciation period for GPUs is justified, as the cash costs of operating older GPUs are significantly lower than their rental prices [2][4]. - The report highlights that even 5-year-old NVIDIA A100 chips can still yield "comfortable profits," indicating that the depreciation policies of major cloud service providers are fair and not merely for financial embellishment [2][4]. - The analysis shows that the contribution profit margin for A100 chips can reach up to 70%, with operational costs being substantially lower than rental income, providing strong economic incentives for extending GPU usage [4][5]. Group 2: Market Demand and Old GPUs - The current market environment supports the value of older GPUs, as there is overwhelming demand for computing power, with AI labs willing to pay for any available capacity, even for outdated models [6][7]. - Industry analysts note that the A100's computing capacity remains nearly fully booked, suggesting that as long as demand stays strong, older hardware will continue to hold value [8]. Group 3: Depreciation Policies of Tech Giants - Google has a depreciation period of six years for its servers and network equipment, while Microsoft ranges from two to six years, and Meta plans to extend some assets to 5.5 years starting January 2025 [9][10]. - Notably, Amazon has reduced the expected lifespan of some servers and network equipment from six years to five years, reflecting differing views within the industry on hardware iteration speed [10]. Group 4: Criticism and Concerns - Michael Burry warns that tech giants are artificially inflating profits by extending the effective lifespan of assets, predicting that this accounting practice could lead to a profit inflation of $176 billion from 2026 to 2028 [11][12]. - Burry specifically points out that companies like Oracle and Meta could see their profits overstated by 26.9% and 20.8%, respectively, due to these practices [12]. - Previous warnings from Bank of America and Morgan Stanley indicate that the market may be underestimating the true scale of AI investments and the potential surge in future depreciation costs, which could reveal a lower actual profitability for tech giants than expected [14][15].