The reason it shook the market at least was because of the claim that its training cost was 5 million.

That' what the buzz focused on, strange as we don't actually know what it cost them. While inference optimization is a fact and is even more impactful since training costs benefit from economics of scale.

I don't think that's strange at all, it's a much more palatable narrative for the mass who doesn't know what inference and training is and who think having conversations=training

I agree nothing surprising in that, also back then inference wasn't as much questioned as today with regards to being sold at a loss.

Also the fact that it cost 10% of what other models cost. Pretty much still does.